The Birds of New Guinea and the adjacent Papuan Islands including many New Species recently discovered in Australia. Vol. I: Birds of Paradise.

This is a rare or used book from the Berkelouw Rare Books Department.

London: Henry Sotheran & Co. 1875-1888 (Facsimile produced for the British Museum (Natural History) by Hill House Publishers London 1988). Elephant folio. Orig. full silk wove cloth with gilt title to spine. (10pp. text). With 56 full-page col. plates each accompanied by a 1-2-page description. Fine. Numbered edition. NOTE: John Gould (1804-1881) was a bird collector and an astute publisher. While he sketched the birds he collected he employed many artists including his wife Elizabeth and Edward Lear to produce the vibrant images for which he is now acclaimed. The plates for this volume were produced by William Matthew Hart (1830-1908) who worked as a draughtsman for Gould from 1851 and completed the images after Gould's death.