[Rarebooks] FS - Jardine's Naturalist's Library complete set

[GREENFIELD BOOKS]

*JARDINE, Sir William, Bart. /THE NATURALIST'S LIBRARY/.* Complete forty 
volume set in the original half leather bindings. Published by W. H. 
Lizars et al, between 1833 to 1854.

Sir William Jardine, seventh baronet of Applegirth (1800-1874) was a 
Scottish ornithologist. "He made natural history available to all levels 
of Victorian society by editing and issuing the hugely popular forty 
volumes of 'The Naturalist's Library'" (Wikipedia). The library is 
divided into four main sections: Ornithology (14 vols.), Mammalia (13 
vols.), Entomology (7 vols.), and Ichthyology (6 vols.) - each prepared 
by a leading naturalist (Jardine contributed to some of the sections on 
birds, mammalia, and fish). The artists who drew the illustrations 
include Edward Lear, William Swainson, and Prideaux John Selby (best 
known for his life-size plates in "Illustrations of British 
Ornithology"). This set is remarkable for its over 1,300 hand-coloured 
steel-engraved plates, which are very popular with collectors; hence 
complete sets are rarely seen, as individual volumes are often broken up 
for their engravings (which, even unmatted, usually sell for $25 to $100 
each). The Edinburgh firm of William H. Lizars was responsible for both 
the printing of the work, and the engraving of most of the 
illustrations. Only a few years earlier (1826) Lizars had engraved the 
first ten plates of Audubon's double elephant folio edition of "Birds of 
America".  In preparing the plates for The Naturalist's Library, Lizars 
engraved on steel, rather than copper, which allowed for much finer detail.

Each volume is duodecimo in size and contains an extra illustrated title 
page, and each is uniformly bound in half green calf over marbled 
boards, with the spine in compartments, ornamented and lettered in gilt. 
All volumes show some external wear, and the binding of a few volumes 
(vol. 5, principally) is dilapidated. Most volumes, however, are tight 
and in good, or better, condition. and the text is generally clean and 
bright, withn occasional foxing. All plates have been collated and, with 
a few exceptions, were generally found to be in very good, to excellent, 
condition. Note: 19 of 32 plates called for in vol. 2 have been removed, 
and several pages are loose.  The binding of vol. 5 is broken. All the 
text is present, but seven plates have been removed. Two of the plates 
are folding and, in one volume (vol. 31) count as two plates, while in 
the other volume (vol. 32), it counts as one plate. A number of plates 
are present, but not placed in accordance with the table of contents. 
There are also numerous full-page b&w engravings, and smaller 
illustrations in the text.

Digital photos of the set as a whole, and individual volumes, available 
upon request.

Price: $7,500.00.

Terms of sale - The price is in USD. Applications for trade discount 
considered. Payment by check, wire transfer, or credit card (subject to 
conditions). Postage, packing, and insurance charges are included in the 
price - to anywhere in the world. Returnable (with prior notice, please) 
within seven days of receipt if not as described.

 
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