Birds.- Gould (John) The Birds of Great Britain, 5 vol., first edition, list of subscribers, 367 hand-coloured lithograph plates, most heightened with gum arabic, by Gould, H.C. Richter, Joseph Wolf and William Hart, 2 wood-engraved illustrations, vol.4 list of plates creased and Common Pratincole with single small spot, vol.5 Little Auk with narrow strip of browning and foxing to inner margin of plate and facing text leaf, Shag with slight foxing to upper right corner, otherwise remarkably clean and fresh, contemporary reddish-brown half morocco, gilt, spines gilt in 6 compartments, t.e.g., extremities very slightly rubbed, [Ayer & Zimmer p.261; Fine Bird Books, p.78; Wood p.365; Nissen 372], folio, 1862-73.

⁂ An original subscriber's copy of "the most sumptuous and costly of British bird books" (Mullens and Swann). Richard Bowdler Sharpe said of the work: "Such beautiful illustrations...scarcely existed before and are not likely to be surpassed."

Provenance: This copy has been in the Wolley Dod family since it was purchased by the Rev. J Wolley Dod by subscription. In the library at Edge Hall we located a number of the original cloth-backed pictorial board portfolios of the parts, now housing a variety of loose prints and drawings.