[Item #56873] The Birds of Australia [Facsimile]. John GOULD.

The Birds of Australia [Facsimile]

Melbourne: Hill House, 1992. Limited Edition. Elephant folio (55cm). Complete, 7 volumes and supplement. Original green cloth, stamped in gilt; white and red endpapers; vol. 1: [18], vi-cii, 1-13, [3]pp, 36pl; vol 2: [iv]pp, 104pl; vol. 3: [iv]pp, 97pl; vol. 4: [iv]pp, 104pl; vol. 5: [iv]pp, 92pl; vol. 6: [iv]pp, 82pl; vol. 7: [iv]pp, 85pl; supplement: iv, [iv]pp, 81pl. Includes three double-page spreads. Straight and fresh, rubbed on lower edges, else Near Fine.

High-quality facsimile of John Gould's magnum opus. In the history of bird illustration, Gould ranks immediately after Audubon: he published over 50 volumes of plate books, and his research on Galapagos finches helped lead Darwin towards his theory of evolution. Gould spent two years in Australia preparing The Birds of Australia, issued in 7 volumes from 1840-48 (with an 1851-69 supplement documenting newly discovered species). This was the first comprehensive illustrated account of Australian bird life.

In the 1990s, the publisher Hill House collaborated with the British Museum to produce high-quality, full-size, color facsimiles of Gould's books in editions of 500 or fewer copies. This complete facsimile set includes 681 plates in total, including parrots, flycatchers, emu, kiwi, cassowaries, bowerbirds, and more.

NOTE: this is a heavy set, and may not be possible to ship to all destinations. If you wish to place an order from outside the United States, please inquire before purchasing.

Price: $3,000.00

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