B E Smythies. Birds of Burma. American Baptist Mission Press, Rangoon, 1940.

Price: US$12103.40 + shipping

Condition: Near Fine

Description: An exceptional copy of Bertram Smythies' noted ornithological work 'Birds of Burma'. Signed by the author to the title page, with the very scarce dust wrapper in excellent condition. Illustrated, with a frontispiece, 30 plates and a folding map. The illustrations are by Lieutenant Comander A M Hughes. A very scarce work, as most copies were impounded by the Japanese and shipped to Tokyo where they were destroyed in an air raid of the Royal Veterinary College where they were housed. This first printing was a small run of 1,000 copies, which were mostly bought by Europeans living in Burma, and left behind when they were evacuated before the Japanese invasion in 1942. With the scarce map intact, which is commonly loose. Collated, complete.Edited by H C Smith and P E Garthwaite. The first edition of this work. Prior owner's bookplate to the front pastedown, H G Seward. His inscription to the recto of front endpaper. Signed by the author to the title page. Smythies was a forester and ornithologist. He was born in India, where his father was silviculturist of Uttar Pradesh and later the Chief Conservator of Forest of Nepal. He read botany and forestry at Balliol College, Oxford. He joined the Burma forest Service in 1934, which is when he explored the botany and ornithology of many Burmese regions. An extremely bright copy of this ornithological work, that is a fantastic study of the birds in Burma. Only seen at auction once since 1988 and then without a dust wrapper and not signed. In the publisher's original cloth binding, with the scarce unclipped dustwrapper. Externally, very smart, with light shelfwear to the extremities and to the head and tail of spine. Dustwrapper is generally smart, with minor chips to the head and tail of spine. Tape repairs internally to the head and tail of spine. Tape repairs to the flyleaf joints. A few light spots to the spine. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are very bright and clean. Near Fine

Seller: Rooke Books PBFA, Bath, United Kingdom