Beschreibung:

WILSON, ALEXANDER [and GEORGE ORD]. American Ornithology; or, The Natural History of the Birds of the United States. Philadelphia: Dradford and Inskeep 1808-1814. 9 vols., 4to, 353 x 266 mm. (13 7/8 x 10 7/16 in.), original half red roan and marbled boards, edges stained yellow, rubbed, vols. 8 and 9 with large chips at extremities of spines, a few inner joints split, plate 14 supplied from another copy (inner margin pasted down to facing page, cut away around margins), the usual foxing or staining to many plates, most plates offset to text . FIRST EDITION OF "THE FIRST TRULY GREAT AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY AND ALSO THE FIRST TRULY OUTSTANDING AMERICAN COLOR PLATE BOOK OF ANY TYPE" (Bennett), first state of vol. 1, p. 33 (sentence at end of line 23 beginning "Tho it is believed"), 76 hand-colored engraved plates after Wilson by A. Lawson, J. G. Warnicke, G. Murray and B. Tanner, colored by A. Rider, list of subscribers at end of vol. 9, PRESENTATION INSCRIPTION FROM THE AUTHOR TO WILLIAM BARTRAM in vol. 2, AN ORIGINAL WATERCOLOR FOR PLATE 68, unsigned but possibly by Wilson, loosely inserted; with another copy of vol. 1, second state of p. 33 (sentence at end of line 23 beginning "I have myself"), original half roan, tail of spine chipped, foxing ; together 10 vols . Provenance : William Bartram vol. 2 a gift from the author, as above, possibly along with vol. 1; William Jardine long inscription on vol. 1 front flyleaf, unsigned but dated Jardine Hall, October 3, 1855, stating that the first two volumes of the set were purchased in Paisley (Wilsons birthplace) "when procuring information & materials for the biography of Wilson" (published in Jardine's 3-volume octavo 1832 edition of Wilson's American Ornithology ), and reporting on George Ord's belief that this copy is "one of the very first copies of the work coloured by Wilson's own hand...The first copy he presented to his father, the second to his friend Bartram...". (As Wilson's neighbor in Philadelphia, Bartram had opened to him his library and provided inestimable encouragement to pursue his great project); John Ford ink inscriptions on front flyleaves of in vols. 3-9 Dr. Evan Morton Evans (1870-1955) Daniel Webster Evans (1907-1966) [ With :] CHARLES LUCIEN BONAPARTE. American Ornithology; or, the Natural History of Birds inhabiting the United States, not given by Wilson. Philadelphia: Samuel Augustus Mitchell [vol. 1]; Carey, Lea & Carey [vols. 2-4] 1825-33. 4 vols., 4to, 378 x 290 mm. (14 joints weak, 7/8 x 11 3/8 in.) [vols. 3 and 4 slightly smaller], original half red morocco and marbled boards, edges stained pale green, quite rubbed, vol. 1 essentially disbound, light offsetting from text to most plates, a few plates a trifle discolored, text of vols. 2-4 foxed . FIRST EDITION, first issue of vol. 1 with the Mitchell imprint, 27 hand-colored engraved plates by Alexander Lawson after Titian R. Peale, Alexander Rider and J. J. Audubon (plate 4, "Great Crow Blackbird"). Loosely inserted are two extra proofs of plates 16 and 20, annotated by the colorers and TWO AUTOGRAPH LETTERS SIGNED BY BONAPARTE, OF WHICH ONE TO J. J. AUDUBON: 1) Autograph letter signed (twice, "Charles P[rin]ce of Musignano") to John James Audubon in London; Rome, 20 January 1836, 3 pages, 4to, address panel with original wax seal and Audubon's docket on verso of second leaf, three marginal tears and several rust holes affecting text . Bonaparte expresses the hope that his brother-in-law has kept up with the payments due for the Birds of America , mentions that he is thinking of asking Robert Havell to be his own agent in London, and thanks his old friend for sending volume 3 of the Ornithological Biography , "upon which I congratulate you sincerely. The letterpress is even superior to the plates!...The scientific news you give me have much interested me especially the one about the S. Philadelphia and the two new? [ sic ] species...There is much to be done with the species of Phalacra