A Monograph of the Pittidae, or Family of Ant Thrushes (first edition)
by Elliot, Daniel Giraud
- Used
- Hardcover
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- A fine copy in a fine binding housed in a fine slipcase, a magnificent copy.
- Seller
-
Iowa City, Iowa, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: D. Appleton, 1863. First edition.. A fine copy in a fine binding housed in a fine slipcase, a magnificent copy.. Pp. 1p: dedication to Philip Lutley Sclater, 1p: list of subscribers, 2p: preface, 14p: introduction, and with 31 fine hand-colored lithographic plates, heightened with gum arabic (24 plates are signed by Elliot, 4 plates by Paul Louis Oudart, 1 plate is by E. Maubert, 1 plate is by Mesnel, 1 plate is unsigned). Each plate is accompanied by 2-3 pages of descriptive text. Bound in later one-half green morocco leather over the original marbled boards with the original matching marbled endpapers, spine with 5 raised bands outlined by gilt panel lines, 2 compartments with red morocco labels lettered in gilt, all page edges in gilt, folio (21 7/16 x 13 5/8 inches), housed in a custom-made velvet-lined clam-shell box with a one-quarter green leather spine over burnt red cloth boards made by Brockman Bindery in the UK. This is the first edition of the first of D.G. Elliots great bird monographs. This monograph was limited to 200 copies only. Elliot drew and colored the plates for this work. This is the only work he published that he also illustrated. Elliot originally hired artist Paul Louis Oudart to do the illustrations, but Outdart died after completing just four plates. Rather than trying to find another artist, Elliot decided to take on the responsibility of illustrating the work himself. Elliot illustrated the birds in vibrant shades of blues, greens and reds, and the birds are placed against beautifully drawn landscapes. Elliot took great care to ensure that the flowers and foliage shown in detail with the birds were appropriate for the species shown. The Pittidae described are native to Borneo, Nepal, Ceylon, the Philippines, New Guinea, and Cambodia amongst other places. As with many other tropical birds, the Pittidae are brightly colored which likely influenced Elliot to choose the Pittidae as the subject of his first monograph. A rare and spectacular ornithological work, the first book by Elliot with his own illustrations, and the scarcest of his major monographs. This copy bears the signature of George N. Lawrence on the front endpaper. George N. Lawrence is also listed as one of the original subscribers of the work. George Newbold Lawrence (October 20, 1806 January 17, 1895) was an American businessman and amateur ornithologist. See also Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 95; BM (NH) vol. I, p.522; Nissen IVB 292; Sabin 22228 (noting that only 200 copies were printed); Wood p. 332; Whittell pp. 225-226; and Zimmer p. 208.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Natural History Books (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 9593
- Title
- A Monograph of the Pittidae, or Family of Ant Thrushes (first edition)
- Author
- Elliot, Daniel Giraud
- Book Condition
- A fine copy in a fine binding housed in a fine slipcase, a magnificent copy.
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- New York: D. Appleton, 1863. First edition.
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
- Bookseller catalogs
- Ornithology;
Terms of Sale
Natural History Books
All prices are net. If you do wish to use a credit or debit card, you can contact us directly for more purchasing options. We encourage customers to contact us to verify availability, condition, and specific shipping instructions. We do not offer books for sale in the state of Iowa.
About the Seller
Natural History Books
Biblio member since 2007
Iowa City, Iowa
About Natural History Books
Natural History Books is an independent, rare book retailer operating out of Iowa City, IA. The business is owned and operated by Noriko and Russell Ciochon. We only sell books through our NHB website and other book service websites. We do not offer books for sale within the state of Iowa.We specialize in rare and hard to find books in all areas of natural history especially ornithology, herpetology, ichthyology, mammalogy, paleontology, botany, evolutionary biology and travel and exploration. Our rare and hard-to-find book section has many fine hand-colored plate books. Our latest acquisition is the ichthyology and aquarium fish collection of Ross Socolof Books of Florida. We are always buying natural history books – if you have a collection to offer, please contact us at noriko@naturalhistorybooks.com or by calling (319) 354-9088.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Folio
- A folio usually indicates a large book size of 15" in height or larger when used in the context of a book description. Further,...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Fine Binding
- An elaborate and decorative binding, example including a leather-bound book with gilt edges, raised blind stamps, raised ribs,...
- Morocco
- Morocco is a style of leather book binding that is usually made with goatskin, as it is durable and easy to dye. (see also...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Raised Band(s)
- Raised bands refer to the ridges that protrude slightly from the spine on leather bound books. The bands are created in the...
- Plate
- Full page illustration or photograph. Plates are printed separately from the text of the book, and bound in at production. I.e.,...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Marbled boards
- ...