WILDLIFE IN AMERICA; Introduction by Richard H. Pough / Illustrated by Bob Hines

New York: The Viking Press, 1959. First Edition. Cloth and boards. Near Fine/Fine. Bob Hines. SIGNED by the Author, 4to, white quarter buckram with green and gold label & lettering over forest green cloth decorated with flying bird-bison-carribou-and swimming duck motives over boards, profusely illustrated with 8 full-color plates of works by--among others--Mark Catesby, Alexander Wilson, the Peale's, and John James Audubon, with 16 pages of B&W photographs, and more than 100 delineations by Bob Hines of "rare, extinct, or vanishing species," published with top page edges stained green for dust protection, Mylar-protected endpaper details from George Catlin, 304 pages. Author's SCARCE third book. SIGNED by the distinguished naturalist on the front decorative pastedown which has details by George Catlin.<br /> <br /> A splendid historical survey of "the white man's effect on wildlife in North America, from the earliest records to the present day"--from the Intro by Richard Pough. <br /> <br /> Matthiessen trained as a naturalist, and this work sets forth the broad dimensions of the environmental and social work that he undertook for the rest of his regrettably too short life (1927-2014). <br /> <br /> A solid, clean and generally Superior copy with minimal age-toning, bright, unfoxed illustrations, and a well preserved dj (unclipped) though it is rubbed and has some soil--especially evident on the rear panel. The rear panel also has a small (1/4") hole at 11 o'clock above the small reindeer. The cloth is characteristically somewhat tired. Slight 1"-square blemish on the top inner margin of the front endpaper caused by likely removal of a sticker.