A Natural History of Uncommon Birds, and of Some Other Rare and Undescribed Animals

by EDWARDS, George (1694-1773)

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Book description: London: printed for the author, 1743-1747. Volumes I and II only (of 4). 105 hand-coloured etched plates only (of 210), and one uncoloured plate of the 'Samoyed', all by and after Edwards, the plates numbered in a contemporary hand, English and French general titles with engraved vignettes by Johann Sebastian Miller and letterpress part-titles, text in English and French, translated by David Durand. Woodcut head- and tailpieces and initials. (Lacking the decorative frontispiece to vol I). G. EDWARDS. Gleanings of Natural History, Exhibiting Figures of Quadrupeds, Birds, Insects, Plants, &c. London: printed for the author, 1758-1760. Volumes I and II only (of 3). English and French general title with engraved vignette by J. S. Miller and letterpress part-titles, text in English and French in double columns, translated by J. du Plessis and Edmond Barker. 100 hand-coloured etched plates only (of 152), by and after Edwards and others. Woodcut head- and tailpieces and engraved tailpiece on final page of vol. I. (Lacking the uncoloured portrait frontispiece, repaired tear to the plate numbered 216). The plates include images of Parrots (11); Ducks (8); Owls (5); Pheasants (4); Toucans (2); Pelicans (2); and a Dodo. Together 4 volumes, 4to (11 3/8 x 9 1/4 inches). (Some variable spotting and offsetting.) Uniformly bound in contemporary calf gilt, boards with simple border of a single floral roll, spines gilt in compartments, (worn). Provenance: John Peyto-Verney, Lord Willoughby de Broke (1738-1816, 18th-century armorial bookplate, by descent); Robert John Verney, Lord Willoughby de Broke (1809-1862, 19th-century armorial bookplate). First edition, first issue set of the English and French texts of one of the most important eighteenth-century natural history works. 'At its date of issue, the Natural History and Gleanings was one of the most important of all bird books, both as a fine bird book and a work of ornithology. It is still high on each list' (Fine Bird Books). 'Through the influence of Sir Hans Sloane, [Edwards] was chosen Librarian to the Royal College of Physicians ... Almost immediately after he was appointed ... Edwards commenced the preparation of a series of coloured drawings of animals and birds, used later to illustrate [the present work]; for these he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Society and subsequently elected a Fellow' (Lisney p.127). Edwards "has been well described as an unscientific but very accurate describer and painter of animal life, and his writings will always remain of paramount authority, from the faithfulness of his description of many new birds, subsequently incorporated in the Linnaean System… He had, says Swainson, the simplicity and piety of Izaac Walton, and may be looked upon as one of our greatest worthies. He retired about 1764 to Plaistow, died July 23, 1773." (Mullens and Swann p.194). The full history of the publication of the present work has not been fully unraveled. The opportunism of eighteenth-century publishing produced a large number of possible variants which have yet to be fully described bibliographically, but what is certain is that it was hugely successful and went through a number of transformations whilst under Edwards' control, including the issuing of a French text edition. Shortly after he retired in 1769 he sold "to Mr. James Robson, Bookseller.. all the remaining copies of my Natural History… coloured under my immediate inspection, together with all my copper-plates, letter-press, and every article in my possession relative to it… and that my labours may be handed down to posterity with integrity, truth, and exactness, I have delivered into his hands a complete set of plates, highly coloured by myself, as a standard to those Artists who may be employed in colouring them for the future" (George Edwards, declaration quoted in Robson's Some Memoirs… of George Edwards, dated May Ist, 1769). The sequence and form of the later issues is even less well documented than the earlier. The work was issued by Robson from 1769, and from 1802 by William Gardiner and Messrs. Robinson, and evidently a special issue was published in about 1824. Cf. Anker 124-126; cf. Fine Bird Books p.93; cf. Lisney 188, 192-193, 197-198, 200-201, 203, 205, 208, and 211; cf. Mullens and Swann pp. 195-196; cf. Nissen IVB 286-289; cf. Zimmer pp.192-194 and 196-199.

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