Gosse, P.H. — Popular British Ornithology; containing a familiar and technical Description of the Birds of the British Isles

Reeve, Benham, and Reeve London iv, 320, 8-ads, 20 hand-col plates (+ another set of 19 plain plates), 3 hand-col plates to adverts at rear. . HB. 8vo, cont. half leather, joints rubbed/scuffed, with front joint beginning to crack, but still firm, raised bands and gilt rules to spine, marbled endpapers, teg. Early owner's name in ink to blank recto of first plain plate. Armorial bookplate of British ornithologist and bibliographer, W.H. Mullens (1866-1946). Mullens formed a large library of books on British ornithology, leading to the compilation of his <i>Bibliography of British Ornithology</i> (1917).. First edition. Scarce. Charming plates drawn and lithographed by the author, largely from specimens in the British Museum. This work was issued by the publishers with plates plain or hand-coloured - this copy has, in addition to the set of hand-coloured plates, a second uncoloured set (except for Plate VIII, where only the coloured plate is present). Freeman & Wertheimer state that they had never seen a set with plain plates. Publisher's catalogue (dated January 1849) bound in at rear includes 3 additional specimens of hand-coloured plates from the <i>Popular Natural History</b> series.Freeman & Wertheimer 36; Mullens & Swann p. 239..