Bidspirit auction | Edwards's Natural History of Uncommon

Edwards's Natural History of Uncommon Birds - 3 Volumes with 362 Originally Hand-colored Engravings - These three volumes with 362 originally hand-colored engraving is from George Edwards's A Natural History of Uncommon Birds and of some other Rare and Undescribed Animals bound with part two entitled Gleanings of Natural History.. The work was published in London for the Author between 1745 and 1806. This is one of the most important natural history works. Many of the birds in the work had not been previously illustrated, with quite a few being foreign species drawn from captivity in London. Linnaeus gave around 350 birds their scientific names based on Edwards's descriptions. The volumes are bound in modern paneled speckled calf antique style. It is a mixed edition with text in English and French. The work is lacking the engraved frontispiece, portrait of Edwards, the English dedication to part 4 of Uncommon Birds , title to Gleanings , and some of the subscribers lists. The works were made from assorted stock, common to works of the period, and thus there's some discrepancy as to what makes a complete work as generally each set will not have all of the same parts in total. (Lisney) George Edwards (1694-1773) was an English draughtsman and proficient ornithologist. He worked as the Librarian to the Royal College of Physicians which eventually allowed him to pursue publishing his bird studies and drawings. Edward really drove the prominence of bird and animal illustration in his time and thus became known as 'The Father of British Ornithology'. Provenance: Agustin Edwards (booklabels) Paper Size: ~ 9” by 11”