Search Results: Titles starting with N from Florilegius

Very good copy of the first edition of "one of the finest works on fishes."
Complete with 120 beautiful copperplate engravings, drawn, engraved and coloured by the author. Donovan made his drawings from recently caught fish, most while they were still living. The text often describes the location the fish was caught: the ocean sunfish, Mola mola, was "an elegant little specimen caught near the coast of Brighton."
Depicts several endangered species such as the Atlantic bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus, and Atlantic halibut, Hippoglossus hippoglossus, and the critically endangered European sturgeon, Acipenser sturio, and angelshark, Squatina squatina.
"The paint is laid on so thickly that is frequently impossible to see the engraved lines underneath. The already rich colour is heightened with burnished highlights, albumen overglaze and metallic paint."
Complete five volumes bound in two (1,2 and 3,4,5),
Edward Donovan (1768-1837) was an Anglo-Irish naturalist and the author and illustrator of a number of… Read More

Very good copy of the first edition in five volumes (later expanded to 10) of this classic of British ornithology.
Complete with 124 beautiful copperplate engravings, drawn, engraved and coloured by the author.
British Birds was originally issued in 50 monthly parts with two plates each, and later published in five volumes in five successive years from 1794-1798. The illustrations were based on specimens in Donovan's personal collections of about 400 species. He paid extravagently for rare birds, buying specimens from collectors and friends, poultry markets, and other museums including John Latham's, Mr Green's of Westminster, and the Leverian.
Complete in five volumes bound in three (Vols. 1 and 2, Vols. 3 and 4, Vol. 5 bound with blank pages at end). The additional Volumes 6-10 were only added 20 years later.
"The paint is laid on so thickly that is frequently impossible to see the engraved lines underneath. The already rich colour is heightened with burnished highlights, albumen overglaze and… Read More

Complete set of all two volumes on Canines from Sir William Jardine's ambitious Victorian series The Naturalist's Library
With all 71 steel engravings (62 handcoloured plates, 5 b/w plates, 2 b/w title vignettes and 2 b/w portraits) engraved by Scottish engraver William Lizars after illustrations by Lt.-Col. Charles Hamilton Smith and James Stewart
Includes the Falkland Island aguara-dog, Dusicyon australis, that was described as extinct around 1870, as well as the endangered Sumatran dhole, Canadian eskimo dog, and African wild dog, and the critically endangered Darwin's fox. With many species of wolf, fox, hyaena, and wild dog, as well as domesticated breeds such as greyhound, sheepdog, Dalmatian coach dog, setter, spaniel, cocker, poodle, mastiff, bull dog, etc.
Mammalia Vol. IX, Dogs, Canidae or Genus Canis of the Authors, Vol. I, Charles Hamilton Smith, 33 steel engraved plates by Charles Hamilton Smith, portrait of Pallas, 1839 (Volume XXV of the whole series)
Mammalia Vol. X, Dogs, Canidae or… Read More

Complete set of all two volumes on British Fish from Sir William Jardine's ambitious Victorian series The Naturalist's Library
With all 72 steel engravings (68 handcoloured plates, 2 b/w title vignettes and 2 b/w portraits) engraved by Scottish engraver William Lizars after illustrations by James Stewart
Most fish are depicted lying on the seashore having been caught by fishermen, and include many edible species such as perch, mackerel, seabream, salmon, trout, halibut, sole, etc. Includes the critically endangered European eel, angel shark, eagle ray and school shark, along with endangered bramble shark, vendace, basking shark, etc.
Ichthyology Vol. IV, British Fishes, Vol. I, Robert Hamilton, 36 steel engraved plates by James Stewart, portrait of Rondeletius, 1843 (but with Pl. 1-23 only)
Ichthyology Vol. VI, British Fishes, Vol. II, Robert Hamilton, 36 steel engraved plates by James Stewart, portrait of Baron Humboldt, 1843 (with Pl. 24-34 from Vol. I bound before Pl. I-34 of Vol. 2)
Sir William… Read More

Very good copy of one of four volumes on British ornithology from Sir William Jardine's ambitious Victorian series The Naturalist's Library
Birds of Great Britain and Ireland, Part 2, Incessores, written by Sir William Jardine, 33 (of 32) steel plates by James Stewart including portrait of Scottish obstetrician William Smellie engraved by William Lizars
32 finely handcoloured plates bound at rear, including three plates of eggs, frontispiece vignette of a robin bringing food to its young in a nest and one duplicate plate, Pl.7 the nightingale.
Birds include shrike, dipper, blackbird, oriole, goldcrest, bluetit, finches, jay, woodpecker, kingfisher, swallow, roller, etc.
Sir William Jardine (1800-1874) was a Scottish naturalist. He is best known for writing and editing the 40-volume series of natural history books, The Naturalist's Library from 1833 to 1866. "In addition to the description and depiction (mostly finely coloured plates) by various well-known contributors to almost the whole range of the… Read More

Complete set of the two Hummingbirds volumes from Sir William Jardine's ambitious Victorian series The Naturalist's Library
With all 68 steel engravings engraved by Scottish engraver William Lizars after illustrations by Jean-Gabriel Pretre
In the description to the very first plate, Jardine writes "This fine specimen has been figured in the beautiful work of Mr. Lesson, from which we have borrowed so largely for the illustrations of this present volume." Rene Primevere Lesson's seminal studies of hummingbirds had appeared from 1829-1832.
Hummingbirds, Vol. I, 1833, 35 handcoloured steel plates including frontis, plus engraved portrait of Carl Linnaeus
Hummingbirds, Vol. II, 1833, 31 handcoloured steel plates including frontis, plus engraved portrait of Thomas Pennant
Sir William Jardine (1800-1874) was a Scottish naturalist. He is best known for writing and editing the 40-volume series of natural history books, The Naturalist's Library from 1833 to 1866. "In addition to the description and depiction… Read More

Very good copy of the volume on Marsupials from Sir William Jardine's ambitious Victorian series The Naturalist's Library
With all 37 steel engravings (35 hand-coloured plates, handcoloured frontis, and engraved portrait of Scottish surgeon and anatomist John Barclay) engraved by Scottish engraver William Lizars after illustrations by George Robert Waterhouse.
Includes the extinct Tasmanian tiger, Thylacinus cynocephalus, along with koala, kangaroo, wallaby, duck-billed platypus, dunnart, eastern quoll, sugar glider, echidna, and other curious mostly Australian animals,
Sir William Jardine (1800-1874) was a Scottish naturalist. He is best known for writing and editing the 40-volume series of natural history books, The Naturalist's Library from 1833 to 1866. "In addition to the description and depiction (mostly finely coloured plates) by various well-known contributors to almost the whole range of the subject, the series is supplemented by biographies of famous naturalists of all times and all… Read More

Six volumes only of this rare eight-volume set. (Vol. VIII was discontinued after only 4 issues with 12 plates.)With 352 hand-coloured engraved plates (of 360).Incomplete set of this rare handy pocket-sized edition of 18th century natural history describing many newly discovered species.Text and plates copied from accounts published by Count Buffon, George Edwards, George Shaw, James Bruce, Thomas Pennant, Maria Sybilla Merian and others. Includes the extinct dodo and sukotyro, endangered animals and birds (Siau Island tarsier, white rhinoceros, polar bear, Indian bustard, great green macaw, wild water buffalo, banded cotinga, Russian mink, African grey parrot). Also notable for the early images of plants and animals discovered in New South Wales, Australia (short-beaked echidna, kangaroo, black swan, eastern quoll, waratah, Banksia, etc.).Half contemporary calf with red and black morocco gilt spine labels, marbled boards scuffed, front board off Vol. VI. Some plates loose or trimmed, foxing and… Read More

Rare complete set of 26 volumes of this zoological masterpiece
24 volumes bound in 12 of the Naturalist's Miscellany and 2 volumes bound in 1 of The Zoological Miscellany by William Elford Leach (the continuation published after George Shaw's death with illustrations by Richard Nodder)
With all 1,185 engraved plates in superb hand-colour
Engraved dedication leaf to Queen Charlotte, 1,065 hand-coloured engraved plates in the Naturalist's Miscellany, and 120 hand-coloured engraved plates in The Zoological MiscellanyA very good copy of this "remarkable serial" (Wood), a monumental work on natural history. Devoted to zoological subjects, and including a high proportion of birds, but also mammals, marine creatures, amphibia, reptiles, shells and insects; each subject is described in both Latin and English, and illustrated by a plate, the majority by George Shaw, Frederick Polydore Nodder and his son Richard Nodder.
Complete sets are very rare, since the work was published in 287 monthly parts over some 24… Read More

Very good copy of the Sunbirds volume from Sir William Jardine's ambitious Victorian series The Naturalist's Library in a handsome Root and Son binding
Sun Birds, written by Sir William Jardine with 32 steel plates by William Lizars after illustrations by James Stewart including a portrait of ornithologist Francis Willughby
30 finely handcoloured plates bound at rear, frontispiece vignette of two "little nectarine sunbirds" from India
Sir William Jardine (1800-1874) was a Scottish naturalist. He is best known for writing and editing the 40-volume series of natural history books, The Naturalist's Library from 1833 to 1866. "In addition to the description and depiction (mostly finely coloured plates) by various well-known contributors to almost the whole range of the subject, the series is supplemented by biographies of famous naturalists of all times and all countries. It is well described as a remarkable little library of early nineteenth zoology, as well as a brief account of the lives of the chief… Read More

Complete set of all the 15 ornithology volumes from Sir William Jardine's ambitious Victorian series The Naturalist's Library
With all 478 steel engravings (463 handcoloured plates including title vignettes, one uncoloured title vignette, 14 uncoloured portraits) engraved by Scottish engraver William Lizars after illustrations by famous nonsense-verse poet and caricaturist Edward Lear, Rene-Primavere Lesson's illustrator Jean-Gabriel Pretre, ornithologists William Swainson and Prideaux J. Selby, and Jardine's illustrator James Stewart.
With portraits of several extinct species such as the Norfolk Island pigeon, passenger pigeon, great auk, and the endangered green peafowl, great green macaw, Congo grey parrot, New Zealand kaka, purple-naped lory, Kuhl's lorikeet, western ground parrot, etc.
Includes the very rare supplement to the Hummingbirds, Vol. 3, with 15 plates (1st edition, 1852)
All from the second edition of 1843 with duplicate title pages
Gallinaceous Birds, Sir William Jardine, 32 steel… Read More

Very good copy of one of two volumes on West African ornithology from Sir William Jardine's ambitious Victorian series The Naturalist's Library
Birds of Western Africa, William Swainson, Vol. II, 34 steel plates by William Lizars after illustrations by William Swainson, 32 hand-coloured, plus hand-coloured frontis and engraved portrait of French explorer Francois Levaillant
With list of volumes (up to Vol. XIX), half title, frontispiece portrait of Levaillant, hand coloured vignette title page with ring-necked parakeets, two title pages, advertisement 2pp, contents 6pp, memoir of Levaillant, text 263pp and 32 hand-coloured plates
Sir William Jardine (1800-1874) was a Scottish naturalist. He is best known for writing and editing the 40-volume series of natural history books, The Naturalist's Library from 1833 to 1866. "In addition to the description and depiction (mostly finely coloured plates) by various well-known contributors to almost the whole range of the subject, the series is supplemented by… Read More

A beautifully and vividly hand-coloured copy of this 18th-century ornithological classic.

With 50 vibrantly hand-coloured copperplates after illustrations by Peter Brown

Drawn mainly from specimens or drawings in the cabinets of curiosities of Marmaduke Tunstall (12 birds, 10 insects and one animal), zoologist Thomas Pennant (seven birds), Taylor White, James Lee of Hammersmith, Mr Yeats of Margaret Street, Mr Moon of Hyde Park, apothecaries Richard Green and Mr Jackson, banker Robert Child, Lady Read, zoologist Dr. Ramsay of Edinburgh, ornithologist George Edwards, and the collections of the British Museum and the Royal Society. There are also 20 birds and one insect based on sketches by Pieter Cornelius de Bevere sent from Joan Gideon Loten, Governor of Ceylon for the Dutch East India Company.

Includes critically endangered species such as the red-vented cockatoo Pl. 5, the straw-headed bulbul Pl. 12, and possibly the endangered Mauritius tody, Pl. 28.

Peter Brown was a Dane (according to… Read More

Good copy of this beautifully illustrated book of classic fables with realistic animal studiesComplete with 56 etchings, drawn and engraved "from the life" by Samuel Howitt, with title page and list of platesPlate 32, The Dog in the Manger, bound opposite the title page as the frontispieceSamuel Howitt (1756–1822) was an English painter, illustrator and etcher, famous for his scenes with animals, hunting, horse-racing, sporting and landscapes. He is best known for his illustrations to Captain Thomas Williamson's Oriental Field Sports (1807). Other works include Thoughts on Hunting (1798), Miscellaneous Etchings of Animals (1803), British Field Sports (1807); The Angler's Manual (1808), Groups of Animals (1811), The British Sportsman (1812) and Foreign Field Sports (1819).Blue buckram spine, marble boards bumped and darkened, new endpapers, tissue guards, all plates with varying degrees of spotting and foxing, mostly outside the image, one with 10cm tear within image, first 25 plates with small… Read More

Very good set of 42 Roman landscapes in a rough binding of Venetian paper-covered boards. In the early 19th century, Italian publishers rushed to bring out collections of views of Rome for the tourist market.Engraved title page and 42 fine copperplate engravings of ancient Roman ruins and modern scenes drawn by Professor Silvestro Bossi and engraved on copper by Achille Parboni.Views include the Temple of Vesta, Temple of Venus and Rome, Arch of Septimius Severus, Tomb of Cecilla Metella, Saint Peter's Square, Arch of Titus, Pantheon, Gate of San Sebastian, Piazza del Popolo, temples, Roman baths, theatres, bridges, triumphal arches, plazas, fountains, etc.Silvestro Bossi was an Italian artist and printmaker active in the early part of the 19th century, specializing in landscapes of Rome and Naples.Achille Parboni was an engraver active in the early 19th century in Rome along with Pietro Parboni (1783 - 1841). The Parbonis engraved many books of views of Italian scenery, landscapes in Rome, Sicily,… Read More

Very good- set of 51 Roman landscape plates in the original paper wraps.In the early 19th century, Italian publishers rushed to bring out collections of views of Rome for the tourist market.Engraved title page with vignette of the Capitoline Wolf and different title, Raccolta delle Principali Veduti di Roma e suoi Contorni, 50 copperplate engravings of ancient Roman ruins and modern scenes drawn by famous artists and engraved on copper by Alessandro Moschetti.Views include the Trevi Fountain, Saint Peter's Square, Spanish Steps, the Vatican, exterior and interior of the Pantheon and the Colosseum, plazas, temples, triumphal arches, cathedrals, etc.Alessandro Moschetti (or Mochetti) was active in Rome from 1843-1864 and engraved many books of Roman views.Oblong quarto, original green printed wraps with some loss on spine, covers grubby, good impressions of the copperplates, a few with light foxing within the plate.

Good copy of a Roman souvenir travel guide with 57 fine engraved views in a damaged bindingIn the early 19th century, Italian publishers rushed to bring out collections of views of Rome for the tourist market.New collection of principal views of ancient and modern Rome, with ruins of the war drawn from life in 1849Engraved title page, 50 views of famous tourist sights in Rome, and 7 views of battles after the Revolution of 1848-49 and the First War of Italian Independnce during June 1849. Some titles in French, some in Italian. The architectural views include the Trevi Fountain, St. Peter's Basilica, Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, Spanish Steps, Plaza Popolo, Temple of Vesta, Marcello Theater, Colosseum, Arch of Titus, etc.Pietro Datri or Pierre d'Atri was active in Rome from 1840 to 1867 publishing souvenir books of views.Oblong octavo, black full leather binding with four raised bands, gilt title on spine, insect damage to rear board. Good impressions of the copperplate engravings, mostly clean,… Read More

Collection of 46 (of 48) beautifully detailed copperplate engravings of Roman costume.Examples of costumes, tools, musical instruments, furniture, room interiors, pots, vases, etc. A good many plates of Roman military costume, armour, breastplates, boots, sandals, helmets, boxing gloves, weapons, shields, chariots, legion standards, etc.Engraved title page and 46 engraved plates (numbered I to XLVIII, lacking XXXIV/XXXV) each with an engraved descriptive caption in Italian within the plate. Based on Lorenzo Roccheggiani's Collection of 100 Figures Representing Civil and Military Religious Costumes of the Ancient Egyptians, Etruscans, Greeks and Romans (published in 1804).This suite drawn, engraved and published by Domenico Pronti (1750-1815), Italian painter, sculptor and engraver active in Rome. He specialized in publishing books of Roman scenery and ancient costume for the tourist market.Oblong quarto in flimsy boards, amateurishly covered in marble paper, new endpapers. Good strong impressions of… Read More