Rare books from Pemberley Natural History Books

London: Collins, 1945-2010. , col + b/w plates. . HB. 122 vols, all in orig. publisher's green buckram with d/w's, some of the earlier volumes with minor tears and chips, a few (26, 28, 29, 30, 34 & 40) with small pieces missing; 34 also with staining to boards. Vols 53-68, 70 & 71 with orig. publisher's Duraseal protector; remaining d/w's all in removable protective sleeves; Vols 23, 28 & 29 price-clipped. Some d/w spines with varying degrees of fading; a few with volume number to head of spine faded. The set includes first editions of the 'Golden 14' - nos 70-83 with some fading to d/w spines, as usual, mostly light to moderate, but more pronounced to the light title bands of vols 74, 75, 80 & 83; vols 70 (Orkney) and 71 (Warblers) with only very minor fading. Eight of the later volumes still sealed in publisher's cellophane. Overall an attractive set.. Attractive run of New Naturalist main series Vols 1-120 (1945-2012). The majority are first editions… Read More

London: L. Reeve, 1880-1887. xii, 190, [2]; viii, 162; xv, [1], 578, [2], 215 hand coloured lithographed plates. . HB. 3 vols, 4to, orig. publisher's maroon cloth, gilt titling to spine. An extremely fine and clean set of this work which is seldom offered for sale.. First and only edition. Rare. Frederic Moore (1830-1907) was originally an artist associated with the East India Museum. The fine drawings in this work "representing about 350 species, of which about 250 are figured in their various stages of larva, pupa, and imago" were drawn and lithographed by the author after drawings by the Ceylonese artists Geo. & W. de Alwis and others. The collection of drawings was exhibited at a meeting of the Entomological Society of London in 1878, and "was considered to be such a valuable contribution to Eastern Entomology that the following resolution was proposed … It was hoped that an application to the Ceylon Government for their publication would be successful". Moore… Read More

Oxonii: E Typographeo Clarendoniano, 1770. iv, 7, [1], [4], 6, 12, 77, [1], 1084 engravings on 439 plates (9 folding). . HB. 2 parts in one, folio (376x240mm), sympathetically rebound in 20th century brown half morocco, raised bands to spine, gt title. Some offsetting, occasional spotting or browning, 2 plates lightly shaved, one fore-margin with two short tears (not affecting engravings). Ink stamp of 'Royal Institution of Great Britain' to endpaper.. Second complete edition, edited by William Huddesford. Martin Lister (1639-1712) was a physician to Queen Anne, and generally considered as the founder of conchology in England. The complete first edition of this work was issued between 1685 and 1692. This edition had 490 pages, with 1062 engraved copper plates, showing 2000 figures of molluscs. The illustrations were the work of his daughters Anna and Susanna. Lister encouraged their drawing abilities, and they would have used the shells in his collection, or those sent by friends such as Sir… Read More

Wien: K.K. Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, 1850-1860. , numerous plates (some folding), maps (some col), text figs. . HB. 14 vols, large 4to and roy. 8vo, finely and richly bound in orig., uniform red morocco, elaborate gilt borders to front and rear covers, with title and central imperial crest to front boards, central design including miner to rear boards, gilt fillet to board edges, gilt dentelles, raised bands, gt titles and tooling to spines, aeg, white moiré endpapers. The <i>Abhandlungenand Jahrbuch</i> were issued by the Kaiserlich-Königliche Geologische Reichsanstalt in paper wrappers. Such a fine set of bindings suggests this may have been a special presentation copy, possibly to one of seven nobility listed as receiving copies on page viii, Jahrbuch 1850 (recipients include Franz Joseph I of Austria). Some light rubbing/scuffing. Some light scattered foxing, occasional browning; 12cm closed tear to one folding plate. Withdrawn from an institutional library with ink stamps… Read More

London: Printed for the Author, and sold by J. Edwards, 1766 [but c.1839]. (2), iv, 145, (5), hand-col frontis, additional ornamental hand-col title, hand-col diagramatic plate + 44 fine hand col plates. . HB. Folio, cont. full red morocco, spine with raised bands, ornately decorated in gilt with butterfly motif to each compartment, dec. gilt borders to both boards and gilt inner dentelles, a.e.g., marbled endpapers. Boards a little rubbed and scuffed; some wear to corners and top of spine, joints rubbed and becoming tender to head and foot, but still firm. Some light browning and occasional spotting to text (not affecting plates). A handsome copy.. Rare proof copy for the Fourth edition. Lisney describes this issue as a proof for the fourth edition (which was edited by J.O. Westwood and published in 1840), with plates pulled from the original blocks, and printed on glossy paper. The text has been supplied from the third edition. "A proof of a new title page and a printing of Westwood's… Read More

London: Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts & Green, and Williams and Norgate, 1865. (2), 118, 13 woodcuts to text. 8vo. HB. 8vo (219x140mm), recent half calf, marbled boards, gilt title to spine. Occasional pencil marginalia. Fine copy.. Rare first edition offprint issue of Darwin's work on climbing plants. The first edition of this work was published on June 12 1865, and occurs in three forms - all from the same setting of type. The first makes up most of a double part (Nos 33 and 34) of Vol. 9 of the 'Journal of the Linnean Society of London, Botany'. It was also issued simultaneously as an offprint which occurs in two distinct forms. Both have tipped in title leaves which differ in the note on the source of the original, and the publisher's imprint. The copy offered here is Freeman's first form (834) with the note on the source of the original given as [From the JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY], and the imprint the same as that of the part, except that it has been reset and… Read More

Erlangen: J.J. Palm, 1804. [54]; [53]; [50]; [6], xvi, 1-110, [2], 111-260, [2], 280 fine hand-col plates (on 140 leaves). . HB. 4 vols, 4to, 19th century half morocco, some rubbing to corners and joints, raised bands and dec. gilt rules to spines, teg, marbled endpapers; a few finger marks to the cloth boards. Occasional spotting and browning, with foxing to endpapers. A very good set.. Editio Nova (second edition) of Schaeffer's Icones Insectorum circa Ratisbonam (1766-1779), with Panzer's added supplementary volume with a detailed analysis of the plates. Text in Latin and German. The finely detailed and delicately coloured plates are by Loibel and illustrate over 2000 insects from the region around Regensburg in southern Germany.Jacob Christian Schaeffer (1718-1790) was a German naturalist with a broad interest, publishing illustrated works on the fungi, insects and birds of southern Germany. He was professor at Regensburg and a protestant pastor. He corresponded with many eminent… Read More

Bruxelles & Leipzig: C. Muquardt, Merzbach et Falk, [1859-]1874-1884. , 424 fine hand-coloured lithographed plates, with accompanying text leaves, folding col map. Roy. 8vo. HB. 3 vols, roy. 8vo, handsome cont. red half-morocco, marbled boards and endpapers; gilt tooling to spines with decorative motifs to spine compartments; all edges gilt. Some very minor rubbing to joints. Some spotting / foxing, heavier at beginning and end of each volume, affecting a few plates, and some light offsetting of text to facing plates. Some names neatly added to the text in pencil. Small ownership stamp of Eug. De Keyn. A very handsome set.. Text French. A beautifully illustrated work on the Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) of Belgium. The illustrations have been drawn from life and lithographed by Alphonse Dubois. They illustrate the adult insect with its immature stages depicted on the larval foodplant. First and only edition. A scarce work as it was published in a short print run. Charles… Read More

London: For B. White, 1776. (viii), 136, 50 hand-coloured engraved plates. . HB. 4to, contemporary full leather, gilt border to both boards, corners neatly restored, rebacked in sympathetic style with raised bands, gilt tooling to compartments, red leather title piece, original marbled endpapers retained. Some offsetting to plates. Provenance: From the library of Lytton Strachey (1880-1932), biographer, essayist, and member of the Bloomsbury group, with his small bookplate, designed by his lover and modernist painter, Dora Carrington (1893-1932). Following the death of Strachey (and of Carrington) the book passed to Ralph and Frances Partridge (whose names are written to the fly-leaf). Also with earlier bookplates of R.M. Trench Chiswell and Mary Constance Butler.. First Edition. English and French titles together with brief letterpress descriptions in both languages, written principally by Thomas Pennant. Pennant had previously employed Brown for two of the plates in his British Zoology. 42 of the… Read More

Winchester: Jacob & Johnson, for the Author, 1821-1828. xxxii, 375, (1); (2), 340; (4), 416; (4), 362, (1); (2), 350, (1); (4), 416; (2), 362, (1); (2), 376, (1); (2), 391, (1); (2), 433, (1); 456; Index: 17, (134), 193 hand-coloured engraved plates. . HB. 11 vols (including Index), 4to (285x215mm), recased and rebacked, orig. boards, scuffed, soiled and worn; one joint partly split and neatly refixed. Edges untrimmed; some spotting and offsetting. Author's note to subscribers tipped in before title of volumes 1, 2 and 4. Recent bookplate of K.I. Benyon.. This work considerably expanded Latham's earlier <i>General Synopsis of Birds</i> (1781-1785), and included information from the two supplements (1787-1801), and information discovered since the original publication. Latham was able to examine specimens of Australian birds which reached England in the last twenty years of the 18th century, and was responsible for naming many of them. Latham began this edition when he was 80… Read More

London: Henry Sotheran & Co., [1898]-1902. xi, [1], 336, [1]; ix, [1], 250, engraved portrait frontis, 149 hand-col lithographic plates. . HB. 2 vols, large-4to (390x295mm), orig. half morocco, raised bands to spine, gilt tooling and titles to compartments, top edges gilt, others uncut. Some scuffing and a little wear to head caps and corners, but an attractive set. Text and plates clean, with just a little occasional limited foxing to tissue guards. Recent book-plates of J.G. van Marle.. First edition. Fine hand-coloured lithographic plates, heightened in gum arabic by and after renowned bird illustrator, J.G. Keulemans, printed by Hanhart, Mintern Brothers or Judd and Co. The work was only partly finished at the time of Seebohm's death in 1895 and was edited and completed by H. Bowdler Sharpe. 'A thorough monograph of a limited section of the family Turdidae ... Several new species are described. The hand-colored plates by Keulemans are excellent.' (Zimmer).Nissen IVB 852; Anker, p.… Read More

London: Printed by Taylor and Francis. Published by the Author, [1862-]1873. [12], cxl, [2], [68]; [4], [152]; [4], [140]; [4], [170]; [4], [172], 367 hand-col plates. . HB. 5 vols, imp. folio (547x352mm), 19th-century. full green morocco, raised bands, richly gilt to compartments, broad dec. gilt borders to covers, gilt tooling to turn-ins and edges of boards, aeg. One volume professionally rebacked preserving original spine, some rubbing, particularly to joints, with neat leather reinforcements to head/foot of several spines. A little foxing to endpapers and title pages, plates clean, but with a dark area (oxidation of pigment?) above the greenshank (<i>Glottis canescens</i>) with offsetting to this area from text on facing page. A very good set. Provenance: Bookplate Christopher Henry Beaumont Pease (1924-2005), 2nd Baron Wardington and of Lucy Anne Pease, his daughter.. First edition. Fine hand-coloured lithographic plates from drawings by Gould, Joseph Wolf, H.C. Richter and W. Hart,… Read More

London: Published by the author, 1871-1881, 1895-1896, [1905-]1910. , 721 hand-col lithographic plates, 2 uncoloured plates; 106 colour-printed plates from photographs. . HB. 11 vols, large 4to (324x250mm): <i>Birds</i>, 9 vols, cont. red half morocco, raised bands to spines, gilt and black rules between compartments, beaded gilt rule to bands, gilt motifs to compartments, marbled boards and endpapers, top edges gilt, additional wood-engraved title pages; <i>Eggs</i>, 2 vols, cont. red half morocco by Geo. & A. Grant, spines closely matching the main set, with the same gilt motifs to spine compartments, but with red cloth boards. <i>Birds</i>: some minor rubbing/scuffing to corners; small chips to three head caps; <i>Eggs</i>: heavier scuffing to leather on joints and corners. Orig. printed blue wrappers to <i>The Birds of Europe</i> Vol. I-VIII (parts I-LXXXIV) bound at the end of Vol. I, together with various prospectuses, temporary… Read More

London: Henry Sotheran, 1885-1894. 6, 103 hand-col plates, 26 partly hand-col maps, 15 double-page tables. . HB. 2 vols, large 4to (322x255mm), cont. red half morocco, gilt, raised bands to spine with gilt titles and gilt ruled decoration to compartments, marbled endpapers, top edges gilt. Minor rubbing/scuffing to joints and corners. Occasional minor foxing. Original printed part wrappers bound in at rear of Vol. II. Fine set.Provenance: Armorial bookplates of Revd. Charles J.P. Darroch.. First edition. A fine monograph including all the 109 known species of swallows. Fine hand-coloured lithographic plates by Claude W. Wyatt, printed by Mintern Bros. Peter Tate (<i>A Century of Bird Books</i>, p. 20), states that the plates are 'very pleasing in that they depict in many cases a little scene connected with the area in which the species of swallow occurs.' Originally published in 20 parts.Fine Bird Books p. 107 (incorrectly calling for 104 plates); Mullens & Swann p. 529;… Read More

Erlangen: Wolfgang Walther, 1801. [i]-title page, [1]-blank, 254, 63 hand-col engraved plates. . HB. 4to, cont. half leather, neatly rebacked, preserving original spine, raised bands, gilt-tooled decoration to compartments, red leather title-piece, speckled, paper-covered boards, all edges tinted red. Some wear to corners; minor foxing to title page and occasionally elsewhere; some text leaves with faint old water stain to lower edge. Plates mounted so that they may be folded out and viewed at the same time as the text (stilted). Plates clean and bright. Bookplate of later owner. Fine.. Part 1 (all published). First edition. Rare. The fine plates, after drawings by Esper, are delicately hand-coloured, and engraved by J.C. Bock, J.G. Sturm, H.J. Tyroff, and others. Each plate illustrates between two and four different butterflies, some also including their larvae, foodplants and pupae.Eugen Johann Christoph Esper (1742-1810) was a German entomologist and phycologist, professor of zoology at Erlangen… Read More