Imperial folio (549 x 368 mm). 47 fine hand-colored lithographic plates most heightened with gum arabic, after Gould, William Hart and Henry Constantine Richter, printed by Hullmandel & Walton, Walter, or Walter & Cohn. (A small spot of faint dampstaining at margins of a few text leaves near end.) Late 19th or early 20th century dark brown morocco gilt, sides with wide ornamental gilt borders and cornerpieces, spine in 6 compartments with 5 raised bands, gilt-lettered in 2, the rest gilt tooled, all edges gilt, stamp-signed by Sotheran (a touch of light rubbing to spine ends and fore-corners, spine lightly sunned, hinges reinforced). Provenance: John Eliot Thayer (1862-1933), amateur ornithologist (bookplate); John Barrymore (1882-1942), American actor (bookplate).

SECOND EDITION, WHICH "IS ENTIRELY REWRITTEN AND IS ILLUSTRATED WITH NEW PLATES" (Zimmer), and includes 12 new species. Little was known of these exotic birds when Gould published his first monograph in 1838, but their appeal was enormous. They were among Gould's favorite species: "The Trogons may dispute the palm of beauty with the Humming-birds" (Introduction). The first edition of this work (Gould's second monograph) was issued in 3 parts between 1835 and 1838 and illustrated with 36 plates; 34 species were described, including 12 "new to science" (Anker). The second edition was published in 4 parts over 17 years —an indication of how much fresh research went into this edition for which the text was re-written, the figures re-drawn, and new plates added. Anker 171; Fine Bird Books p.101; Nissen IVB 381; Sauer 21; Wood p.365; Zimmer p.261. A BRIGHT COPY.