John William Lewin | A Natural History of the Birds of New South Wales, 1838

John William Lewin

A natural history of the birds of New South Wales. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1838

Folio (384 x 273 mm.), 26 hand-coloured etched plates, contemporary morocco-backed cloth, light scattered spotting, browned at extremities, small tear at bottom of one leaf (not affecting text),upper joint splitting, extremities rubbed

This exceptionally rare compendium of Australian ornithological plates was first published under a different name, Birds of New Holland, in 1808. Birds of New Holland was published in London, but this work was published in Australia, making it the first illustrated book engraved and printed there. This work was therefore at the forefront of Australian ornithological study, and paved the way for the celebrated later publications of John Gould.

LITERATURE:

Fine Bird Books, p. 91; Ferguson 2535; Nissen IVB 561

PROVENANCE:

Albert Julian Pell (1864-1916), Wilburton Manor, Cambridgeshire