Biologia Centrali-Americana, Zoology, Botany, and Archaeology, Introductory Volume. by Godman, Frederick Ducane - 1915

London, England: R. H. Porter, 1915. This is the introductory volume for Biologia Centrali-Americana, Zoology, Botany, and Archaeology. Biologia was published serially between 1879 and 1915 in quarto and folio. By the time of the publication of the Introductory Volume in 1915, presumed published by R. H. Porter, sixty-three core volumes had been produced. Contents of this Introductory Volume include: Physical Features, etc., of the Area treated; Sources from whence our Material was obtained; Itinerary of Mr. G. C. Champion's Travels in Central America, 1879-1883; List of Completed Volumes, Zoology, Botany, and Archaeology; Analysis of Contents of each Volume; Summary of Contents of each Volume; Origin, etc., of the Fauna and Flora of Central America; Maps. True first edition, not a facsimile. This is an English language publication. Author preface dated June 1915. Printed by Taylor and Francis, Fleet Street, London. Presumed later binding [circa 1940s?] in navy blue buckram, with crisp gilt-stamped lettering to the spine, and with fresh pastedowns and FEPs. Gently bumped spine head and tail, with fairly sharp if slightly bumped corners. A little discoloration to bottom of the rear board, else a generally clean binding. Text block firmly bound in. T.E.G. 12 x 10 inches. With viii, two sepia-tone full-page photo portraits [one of Godman, one of Salvin, both with facsimile signatures], 149 numbered pages of text, plus 8 double-page maps, all but one of which are in color. All text pages on medium-weight matte stock; the maps on heavy card stock. Generally very clean text pages, with the merest hint of age-toning. The maps, completed in astonishing detail, appear immensely clean and without demerits. Respectfully read. A very attractive copy, inside and out, and still quite tight. A Very Good Plus copy. Rare in any condition; indeed scarce even in facsimile. An indispensable volume for collectors of various volumes from the series, With thanks to William Reese Company for the following: "The Biologia is one of the towering achievements of natural history research in the Americas, and remains fundamental to the study of Neotropical plants and animals to this day.... Because of the massive nature of the work and its extended period of publication, and because subscribers could purchase sections of the work without subscribing to the whole, most holdings are fragmentary.... The entire Biologia project was conceived and executed at the highest level of scholarship and production, with almost 900 colored plates. It remains the single greatest published resource for New World natural history." According to Wikipedia, "Frederick Ducane Godman [1834-1919] was an English lepidopterist, entomologist and ornithologist. He was one of the twenty founding members of the British Ornithologists' Union. Along with Osbert Salvin, he is remembered for studying the fauna and flora of Central America.". First Edition. Buckram. Very Good Plus. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall.