Levaillant, François

Histoire naturelle des oiseaux de paradis et des rolliers, suivie de celle des toucans et des barbus. Paris: for Denné le jeune, and Perlet, [1801-] 1806



2 volumes, folio (20 7/16 x 13 1/8 in.; 520 x 333 mm). Half-title in vol. 1, 113 fine handcolored engraved plates, of which 6 are folding, after Jacques Barraband by Pérée, Grémillier, or Bouquet, printed in colors by Langlois or Rousset and finished in colors by hand, small slip cancelling plate no. on text of vol. 1, p. 15; lacking plate 1:46 "Le Geai Peruvien," lacking half-title in vol. 2, some spotting and browning, a few plates bound out of usual order, many plates trimmed at fore-margin sometimes affecting captions, a few plates with short marginal tears causing marginal loss on one without affecting image. Contemporary red straight-grain morocco, borders of gilt triple fillets enclosing palmette rolls in blind, central panel enclosed in gilt border, gilt roll-tooled dentelles, spines gilt in compartments, edges gilt; rebacked with original spines laid down, edges and corners rubbed, a few stains and scrapes.

Their Royal Highnesses Prince and Princess Michael of Kent (bookplates)

Ayer/Zimmer p. 393; Copenhagen/Anker p. 304; Fine Bird Books, p. 118; Nissen IVB 559;  Ronsil, p. 298

First edition of Levaillant's spectacular work on exotic birds, a "magnificent work" (Wood).

Levaillant was arguably the greatest and certainly the most prolific producer of high-quality bird books of his time. Barraband (1768-1809), a draftsman at the Gobelins factory, is considered the best ornithological artist of his generation whose relatively early death and the eclipse of his work by that of Audubon and Gould, may have prevented him from being compared to Redouté as one of the greatest natural history artists of all time. The technical brilliance of Langlois and Rousset's color-printing capture perfectly the precision and beauty of the gouache and watercolor originals.

Originally published in nineteen parts between 1801 and 1806, copies of the work are found with the plates in both uncolored plain state (before letters) and colored state with letters. The present copy contains unusual examples of colored plates before letters and numbers, and the usual colored with letters and numbers. The title pages of this set do not bear the monogram or the phrase "Libraire de S.A.I. le Prince Joseph" after Denné's name found in other examples, showing that there are two states. The order of the plates follows [plates without numbers are given in square brackets]: vol. I: 1, 3, 2, 4-11, [13], 12, [14-17], 18-19, 21, 20, 22-24, [25], 26, [27], 28-31, 32, [33], 34-36, [37-38], 39, 41, 40, 42-45, 47-56; vol. II: 1, [2-6], 7-12, [13-18], 19-20, 22, 21, 23-37, A, 38-43, 45, 44, 46-57.