CONCHOLOGY, OR THE NATURAL HISTORY OF SHELLS: containing a new arrangement of the genera and species, illustrated by coloured engravings executed from the natural specimens, and including the latest discoveries

by PERRY, GEORGE

First edition

[30 Day Return Guarantee] Price: $12,000.00

Book Description

London: William Miller, 1811. First edition A Very Fine example. Folio. (12 x 18 inches, 305 x 457 mm.) Handsomely rebound in Red Morocco with gilt pin-striping to cover. Raised spine with title, author and date in gilt lettering set in the 2, 4, & 7th panels, respectively. Cased in a red buckram, black velvet-lined clamshell box with red morocco spine, with lettering identical to the volume. Pp. [4], 61 original hand-colored aquatint engravings and an accompanying page of text for each plate, plus index to the plates and genera and one page publisher's catalogue bound in. The plates are engraved, and colored after the original drawings, by Mr. John Clarke. The plates are clean and bright, with very occasional minor spotting. All of the plates are finely colored with rich pigment, however, not bold and garish. Some of the text pages have minor offsetting from the engraved shell image, however no offsetting to any of the plates. Armorial bookplate of Sarah Sophia Child on front pastedown. (Lady Sarah Sophia Child (1786-1867), was the daughter of John Fane (10th Earl of Westmorland and a member of the Child's banking family) and Sarah Anne Child. She married George Child Villiers (1773-1854), 5th Earl of Jersey in 1804. Lady Sarah was a society hostess and a friend of Lord Byron's.) George Perry's Conchology has become synonymous with the most exquisite renderings of shells produced during the 19th century, and is the only Conchology illustrated with aquatinted plates. Lavish and showy, this Conchology was based on the studies of not only Linnaeus, Bruguiere and Lamarck, but also introduces dozens of the newest discoveries of shells specimens, from the South Seas and points beyond. Perry was an avid conchologist as well as an astute collector. His own "cabinet of curiosities" boasted specimens gathered from the most noted naturalists' voyages of the day. The original identification, description and engraving of these new specimens by Perry, for which he was initially criticized as fanciful, imaginary and erroneous, has since become adopted as acceptable nomenclature. This landmark work, showcased in this elegant presentation, is clearly one of the monumental conchologies of all time. (Buchanan, Nature into Art p.189-192; Dance, p. 90-94)

Bookseller Terms of Sale

We accept Master Card, Visa, American Express, Pay Pal, checks and money orders. Institutions are billed to meet specifications. All orders are processed with in 24 hours of receipt. Every item is professionally packaged and shipped via US Postal Service, fully insured. We charge $8.50 to ship one book, and $2.00 for each additional item. International shipping charges are $15.00 for the first item, $2.00 for each additional item. For matted prints, up to 16 x 20 inches, we charge $20.00 to pack and ship. Insurance is additional on all items. Professional Associations: We are proud members of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA.org) and the International League of Booksellers, (ILAB.org), and we adhere to their strict code of ethics and professional conduct, the highest standards within the antiquarian book trade.