Monograph of the Felididae or Family of Cats

New York: M. & N. Hanhart, 1878. SMIT, J.. New York]: printed by Taylor & Francis, published by the author for the subscribers, [1878-] 1883.

Large folio. (23 1/2 x 19 inches; 600 x 475 mm). xvi, [2, plate list]. With all forty-three fine hand-coloured lithographic plates drawn on stone by Joseph Smit from drawings by Joseph Wolf, printed M. & N. Hanhart. Each plate accompanied by at least one leaf of explanatory letterpress text. The original blue printed upper wrappers of parts 1-11 bound in at the back.

Beautifully bound by Zaehnsdorf in half green morocco over green cloth. Spine lettered in gilt. Top edge gilt, others uncut. MArbled endpapers. Some minor rubbing to board edges. A few instances of foxing to preliminary pages, but plates are extremely clean. Fore-edge with some foxing. Previous owner's bookplate on front pastedown. An excellent copy of the finest work on the cat family with magnificent hand-coloured plates after Joseph Wolf.

Originally issued in eleven parts, the monograph describes and figures all the species of cat then known. As Elliot writes in the preface "Among the Families which constitute the Class Mammalia no more attractive one can be found than that of Felidae, as its members possess in the highest degree a beauty, both of form and colouring, most gratifying to the eye, and are also endowed with physical strength and weapons of offence not surpassed by any known creature now living upon the earth. The Family comprises not only the largest and most ferocious of the beasts of prey, but also the graceful little animal that delights to make its home within mans' abode". The work was prompted by the need to resolve the confusion that had built up around the naming of the various species of Felidae, particularly amongst the smaller cats. The examples shown here were collected by Elliot after visiting all the great museums and zoological societies on both sides of the Atlantic. This allowed him to make a comparative study of skeletons and skins and reduce the number of separate species by nearly a third. The resulting work was considered the definitive monograph on the cat family and is still the most beautiful work on the subject forming a fitting companion to Elliot's sumptuous ornithological folios.

BM (NH) II, p.522; Nissen ZBI 1279 (incorrect date); Wood p.332.

HBS 68737.

$110,000.