John Gould “Birds of Great Britain”
1862 -1873

London, Taylor and Francis for the Author [1862] -1873 , (542mm x 363mm), 5pp. subscribers list. Fine handcoloured lithographic plates, most heightened with gum arabic, by Gould,Henry Constantine Richter, Joseph Wolf and William Hart, printed by Walter or Walter & Cohn.

Provenance: John P Thomasson Esq, of Moorfield, Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire, the original subscriber

These plates,from the original subscriber’s copy are in fine condition, in clean and undamaged state.

As a life-long bird enthusiast, it gives me great pleasure to be able to offer for sale these beautiful plates. I would like to stress the importance of these first edition plates. They are collectors items of extreme rarity and are priced accordingly. Their rarity lies in the proven fact that they are original and from a named subscriber. A potential purchaser should avoid items offered as “original hand coloured first edition lithographs” if they cannot be traced to a named subscriber.

In the 1861 Prospectus, Gould confirmed “at the urgent request of scientific friends and subscribers” that the work entitled “Birds of Great Britain” was to be issued in parts over eight or nine years, the completed set of five volumes to contain 367 plates, priced at £78. 15s. 0d.

The project attracted 468 subcribers, headed by Her Royal Majesty, Queen Victoria. The list also contains the names of eight Dukes, two Marquises, fourteen Earls, five Viscounts, fifteen Lords and eleven Baronets. Universities , Libraries and Scientific Institutions worldwide, together with any naturalist or collector wealthy enough to commit to the project readily made up the balance. Most of the original subscriber sets are still in the hands of the descendants of the families who originally purchased them, or are still treasured by those Museums and Institutions who acquired them at that time, or during the intervening years. The chance to acquire such items is rare indeed. (P.Bowskill)

The first release of sixty four plates, all illustrated, represents part of the collection. Should you have an interest in a particular British bird that is not in this release please contact us by email, telephone or in writing.

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