The Birds of New Guinea and the Adjacent Papuan Islands, including many new species recently discovered in Australia . Vol. I (Birds of Paradise, Crows)

Melbourne: Hill House, 1988. , 56 plates. . HB. Folio. Copy no. 293. A small bump to foot of spine, otherwise a fine copy. This book is from the library of Pamela Gilbert, former Entomology Librarian at NHM (London), and it is inscribed to her by the publishers, Bernard & Lucilla d'Abrera, 'To Pam Gilbert - who carried this book on its first odyssey….' It was Pam Gilbert who took the NHM original out to the printers in Singpore for preparation of plates for printing this facsimile edition.. Originally published 1875-1888. Fine colour plates with accompanying text pages. 'The volumes in this series are not mere reproductions. They are exact facsimiles of originals held in the Libraries of the British Museum (Natural History) in London and Tring. They are not reproductions, because no camera was used in transferring the images from the B.M.(N.H.) originals. Indeed the originals are taken by Museum security courier to the repro-house in Singapore, where they are subjected to the preparation of new plates for printing on 5 and 6 colour offset presses. The paper used is 130 gsm mat art paper. As facsimiles, the books carry faithfully every spot, mark or stain of the originals. They also carry the original Museum Department of Zoology stamps, and librarian's annotations. From behind glass, the naked eye would be unable to distinguish the original from the facsimile, so accurate is the colour printing. Also as facsimiles, they are exactly the same size as the originals (Imperial Folio: 22" x 15"). Each volume is hand sewn, cased-in and bound between 4 mm. boards covered in special Japanese Saifu cloth, gold stamped on the spine, and with the gold Crown Cipher of the British Museum (Natural History) on the front, and blind embossed on the inner margin of the front boards. The end-papers are of special wood-free heavy grade paper, printed in a generated repetitive pattern of the Museum's Library stamps. The publisher has not intruded into the authenticity of the books, leaving the publication data printed only on the very last page at the end of the book block. Although initial volumes were printed in more than 500 copies, later production runs have not exceeded 300'. [9780947352011]