The Birds of California.
by DAWSON, William Leon
- Used
- Hardcover
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Portland, Oregon, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
San Diego: South Moulton Company, 1923. First edition. Format De Luxe edition (so labeled in all four volumes). One of 539 sets, signed by the author (though not numbered and limitation leaf is blank but for the printed line bearing Dawson's signature). Collates correctly. Four large quarto volumes (12 1/4 x 9 3/8 inches; 311 x 240 mm.). Contemporary blue cloth with beveled edges and rounded corners, spines with gilt rules and lettering. Bibliographic offprint laid in. Some minor joint rubbing but a solid and clean set.This copy inscribed by the patron of this publication, Miss Ellen Browning Scripps: "Presented to Mr. Mi*** John Fillete (?) with appreciation of his life and work by E.B. Scripps, Christmas, 1929". Perhaps the recipient of this set had them bound in this functional manner (which, while plain, has stood the test of time and the weight of the text blocks).“Some time after the book had been on the market, and while the subscription campaign was in full swing, Dawson informed the writer that a total of $250,000 had been expended, which may have included the heavy expense he had been put to in extensive field trips for life history material and photographs. Over half of this amount came from Miss Scripps, and it is certain that her only thought in connection with her part was that it be a cultural and artistic gift to posterity, as others of a like nature had been. ... It may be said in conclusion that the book obviously occupies an utterly unique place in modern American ornithologica, and that no contemporary will deny Dawson the full credit due him for an amazing achievement” (W. Lee Chambers, “Bibliographical Notes on Dawson’s Birds of California”, The Condor: A Magazine of Western Ornithology vol. 41 no. 6 (Berkeley: 1939); p. 243). The offprint of this is laid into the book.“Although Dawson had successfully produced other ornithological works, this was by far the most ambitious project he had undertaken and he quickly ran into financial problems which were not resolved until he found a patron in Mrs. Ellen Browning Scripps who was willing to underwrite the entire cost. With almost unlimited funds now available, the author spared no expense in making this an ornothological [sic] and typographical tour-de-force. The different editions were all printed from the same hand-set type and plates. The differences were in the size and number of volumes, the number of plates, the quality of paper and the quality of bindings. This edition was printed on quality paper and had the maximum number of plates” (The Library of Dr. Roger K. Larson, Pacific Book Auction Galleries, February 12, 1996, lot 40). Ayer/Zimmer, p. 162. Nissen, IVB, 225.
Reviews
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- Nat DesMarais Rare Books, ABAA (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 71022
- Title
- The Birds of California.
- Author
- DAWSON, William Leon
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- South Moulton Company
- Place of Publication
- San Diego
- Date Published
- 1923
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
- Note
- May be a multi-volume set and require additional postage.
Terms of Sale
Nat DesMarais Rare Books, ABAA
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Nat DesMarais Rare Books, ABAA
Biblio member since 2012
Portland, Oregon
About Nat DesMarais Rare Books, ABAA
Nat DesMarais Rare Books specializes in books on the Sierra Nevada (particularly Yosemite), the Mojave, and California books in general. We also deal in the art of the American West, voyages and travels and nineteenth century literature.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Rubbing
- Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.
- Offprint
- A copy of an article or reference material that once appeared in a larger publication.
- Inscribed
- When a book is described as being inscribed, it indicates that a short note written by the author or a previous owner has been...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Beveled
- Beveled edges, or beveled boards, describe a technique of binding in which the edges of book boards have been cut into slanted...
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Quarto
- The term quarto is used to describe a page or book size. A printed sheet is made with four pages of text on each side, and the...