7 volumes in 3, large 4to (334 x 258 mm). Dedication leaf; 323 HAND-COLORED WATERCOLOR AND GOUACHE DRAWINGS OF BIRDS AND EGGS, comprising 271 drawings of birds, and 52 drawings of eggs; index at end of vol. VII. 18th-century red straight-grained morocco gilt, smooth spines gilt, board edges and turn-ins gilt, edges gilt, possibly by Roger Payne [?] (some light wear to corners, some minor soiling primarily to spines and extremities). Provenance: Unidentified armorial bookplate with a ship and a tree bearing the motto "Tutus in Undis"; Viscount Mersey, Bignor Park (book label); Sold Bernard Quaritch (neat pencilled note at end of vol. I confirming complete collation and signed "H.R.").

"THE RAREST OF ALL ENGLISH BIRD BOOKS" (Anker)

FIRST EDITION, ONE OF ONLY 60 SETS ILLUSTRATED ENTIRELY WITH GOUACHE DRAWINGS BY LEWIN, A TALL COPY. "Among all our bird illustrators, William Lewin is unique in using original watercolours to illustrate his book on British birds. He painted the 323 illustrations sixty times over for his subscribers, and then received complaints that he had limited the edition to so few copies [traditionally around 60 sets]... This book represents the first attempt to illustrate the eggs of all known British birds" (Jackson, Bird Etchings). According to Swainson, Lewin was "the best zoological painter, and one of the most practical naturalists, of his day" (Mullens and Swann p.349). He was patronised by the Duchess of Portland, from whose collection he drew the eggs. He drew the birds from life, rather than from specimens, resulting in much livelier bird portraits than those of other artists. See Anker 306 (second edition); Fine Bird Books, p. 91; McGill/Wood, p. 435; Mullens and Swann, p.350; Nissen IVB 562; Zimmer, p. 395