[Rarebooks] FS - Buller's New Zealand Tree-Ferns

[GREENFIELD BOOKS]

*BULLER, Sir Walter Lawry. /NEW ZEALAND TREE-FERNS/.* Sumptuously bound 
in full dark brown grained morocco. Heavy 4to, unpaginated.

Walter Lawry Buller (1860-1906) was a New Zealand lawyer, naturalist, 
and ornithologist. He was the author of the famous /A History of the 
Birds of New Zealand/ (1872), and the first native-born New Zealander to 
achieve an international reputation in the scientific world. "Buller's 
Birds", with the wonderful coloured lithographs by the natural history 
artist J. G. Keulemans, went through several editions, and remains one 
of the standard reference works on the topic of New Zealand ornithology.

This offering is unique, and was acquired by us recently from a 
descendant of Buller.  It is a very handsome album containing thirty 
stiff card pages on each of which is mounted one, and sometimes two, 
very fine black-and-white albumen photographs of New Zealand tree ferns: 
34 photos in all, most being of a picturesque or scenic nature. Each 
full-page photo measures approximately 19.5 x 15 cm, and the location 
depicted in the image is usually identified by a two or three word 
description, neatly lettered in the plate. There is no other text. Some 
photos are numbered, e.g. "62 Wanganui River"; others are not and a few 
have no lettering at all. No publisher, place of publishing, or date of 
publishing is shown. Only the title and the name of Sir Walter Buller 
appear, stamped in gilt, on the front board. Judging by the style of the 
binding, the book appears to have been done up in the 1880s. One might 
reasonably surmise that this was a special book, made-up and bound for 
Buller, perhaps for his own library, or perhaps as a gift to a friend. 
There is no reference in any institution's catalogue to a book of this 
title, although the Australian National Library does list one photo 
(similar to the ones in this book), which it identifies as "New Zealand 
Ferns" (although there is no reference to Buller).

The front joint of this book is splitting at the base (about one inch), 
and there is some wear and a bit of spotting to the boards, but it is 
not untoward. The stiff card pages are somewhat rolled and there is some 
foxing to the margins and occasional light discolouring to the images. 
The hinges are tight are all pages remain firmly attached. A unique item.

Price: $2,500.00.

Terms of sale - the price is in US funds, and postage and packing will 
be additional, at cost. Payment by credit card, check, or as arranged. 
Known institutions may be invoiced. Returnable within seven days of 
receipt if not as described.

 
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