YARRELL, WILLIAM.

London, S. & J. Bentley, Wilson, and Fley, 1843. 8vo. XXXII,528 + (4),672 + (4),528 pp. + YARRELL, WILLIAM. Supplement to the History of British Birds. Illustrated with wood-engravings. London, S. & J. Bentley, Wilson, and Fley, 1845. 8vo. (4),7-54 pp. + YARRELL, WILLIAM. Second Supplement to the History of British Birds: being also a first supplement to the second edition. Illustrated with 18 wood-engravings. London, Woodfall and Kinder, 1856. 8vo. X,71,(1) pp. Three volumes, contemporary blue half morocco over marbled boards, spines in compartments with raised bands, ruled and lettered in gilt (W. Whittington, Neath). All edges gilt. Preserving original blue silk markers. Joints, raised bands, and extremities rubbed and scuffed, some surface wear to covers. Lightly browned throughout, with some occasional minor foxing, though mainly affecting volume I. An additional hand-coloured illustration of a bird’s egg is bound as frontispiece to volume III. Booksellers’ label of William George’s Sons, Bristol, at lower inner gutter of each rear pastedown. With the bookplates of H. Gwyn and Björn von Rosen on the front pastedowns, and from the library of Gunnar Brusewitz with his bookplate and signature on front free endpaper of volume I. Apparently lacking half-title to the first supplement.

Nissen Die illustrierten Vogelbücher 1029. First edition, with both the first and second supplements, of what was considered to be the best work on the subject of the time both scientifically and artistically. This profusely illustrated work was, according to the preface, originally ”published in thirty-seven parts of three sheets each, at intervals of two months, the first part was issued in July 1837, and the last in May 1843. During these six years many occurences of rare birds, and of some that were even new to Britain, became known to me, either by the communications of private friends and correspondents, or from the examination of the various periodical works which give publicity to such events. To render this History, therefore, as complete as my means will permit, I devote this Preface to the enumeration of all such occurrences as have become known to me since the period of inserting the account of the species in its order in the body of the work; and the new subjects have been engraved on single leaves, so paged, that the bookbinder may insert these separate leaves among the birds of the genus to which each respectively belongs”. The majority of the illustrations were drawn by Alexander Fussell and engraved by John Thompson and sons. A second edition of this popular work appeared in 1845, and subsequently went through several editions. Together with his equally popular ”A History of British Fishes” (1836), the present work soon became a standard reference guide.