Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Bewick, Thomas. A History of British Birds. Bernard Quaritch, London, 1885.
Price: US$234.22 + shipping
Description: Two volumes octavo, original cloth boards decorated in gilt to the spine, b&w engravings. Fore-edge and lower edge untrimmed, pp xxvii, 374; xxiii, 406, xi. Hundreds of engravings of birds: Vol I land birds, vol, II water birds. "Memorial edition", limited: number 382 of 750 numbered copies. Previous owner's bookplate ffep, hinge between ffep and fep vol II splitting, o/w very good condition, Bindings section.
Seller: Muir Books -Robert Muir Old & Rare Books - ANZAAB/ILAB, PERTH, WA, Australia
Price: US$250.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: 5 volume set. Bound in three quarters leather with brown cloth over boards. Brown leather spines with raised cords and gold lettering and decorations. The leather seems to have been glazed for protection, so it has a sheen to it. Some cracks to hinges, but all boards still firmly attached. Marbled endpapers. A limited edition of 750 copies of which this is number 170, signed by the published Bernard Quaritch. Vol 1 is the history and description of Land Birds. 374 pages. Illustrated with Bewick's drawings (hundreds of them). Mild signs of long-ago moisture to the outer edge of the first couple pages. Volume 2. History and Description of Water Birds. 406 pages. Binding tight, but some uneven fading to rear cover. Volume 3. History of Quadrupeds. 526 pages. Binding good and tight. Volume 4. The Fables of Aesop. 376 pages. Some spotting on the rear cover. Volume 5. Memoir. 1887. 391 pages. Front endpaper nearly detached. Set measures about 7 x 10 inches. About 8 inches of shelf space. A heavy set. Top edge gilt. Condition overall is good, but it feels a little fragile. The paper is not the highest quality. The heavy boards open stiffly on a couple of the volumes. Please email with questions or to request photos. Extra shipping will be required, because it's a heavy set.
Seller: Riverby Books, Fredericksburg, VA, U.S.A.
Price: US$320.82 + shipping
Description: 5 volumes ex-City and County of Norwich Public Library. All vols. have library sticker on pastedown, library coloured and blind stamps sporadically throughout. Signed by the publisher (Bernard Quaritch) on limitation page of Volume 1. Good/Good+ condition. Vols. 1 has tender front hinge and in Vol. 2 it has split. Calf on all vols. is generally scuffed and worn. pages gently age-tanned. Worn white library mark on spines. 5 vols. half calf with gilt titles, marbled endpapers. Top edges gilt. Illustrated. The picture on the listing page is of the actual books for sale. Limited edition of 750 copies signed by the publisher of which this is No.167.
Seller: High Barn Books, Lancaster, United Kingdom
Price: US$384.98 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: , a beautiful five volume set of Thomas Bewick's Works containing numerous woodcuts by the author Memorial Edition , the books are all pulled at head and tail of spine and have some rubbing at corners and spine, the upper free end paper and title pages are missing from volume I, end papers are foxed, very occasional spotting to a few pages across all volumes, volume I has two newspaper articles related to the books tipped to the upper paste down, very good condition , brown cloth with gilt lettering and designs to spine , quarto, 26.5cmx 17.5cm Hardback ISBN:
Seller: Keoghs Books, Skipton, United Kingdom
Price: US$500.00 + shipping
Description: 5 vols. Illustrated from wood engravings. 8vo, 3/4 polished calf, gilt spines, t.e.g., by Bayntun, in a custom cloth slipcase. One of 750 copies; this copy is unnumbered. Some minor rubbing at joints; a few scuffs; but tight, sound, and attractive.
Seller: Jeffrey H. Marks, Rare Books, ABAA, Rochester, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$1195.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: Half-Leather. No Jacket. Limited/Numbered/signed. Signed By Publisher. Five quarto volumes bound in brown half leather and brown cloth, with raised spines stamped in gilt lettering and small animal motifs at upper and lower quadrants of back-strip appropriate to subject matter of volume. T.e.g., Published by Quartich in a limited edition of 750 sets, this being number 300 , signed by the publisher on the limitation page. Illustrated with numerous wood engravings by Thomas Bewick. The set consists of four titles: A History of British Birds in two vols. [Land Birds and Water Birds]; A General History of Quadrupeds; Aesop's Fables; and a Memoir. Bewick [1753-1828] was a wood-engraver, apprenticed to, and subsequently partner of, Ralph Beilby. The text for British Bird s was provided by Rev. Mr. Cotes and that of Quadrupeds by Ralph Beilby. Quaritch's edition represents the first collection of all these titles in a single publication. Book plate of private collector in each volume. Some incidental rubbing at extremities, else a near fine, attractively bound set.
Seller: Great Expectations Rare Books, Staten Island, NYC, NY, U.S.A.