John GOULD (Lyme, 1804 - London, 1881) The birds... Lot 64

John GOULD (Lyme, 1804 - London, 1881) The birds of Great Britain. By John Gould. In five volumes. London, printed by Taylor and Francis. Published by the author. 1873. Five volumes in-folio, full morocco coarse-grained green-bottle. Large framing rollers. All edges gilt. (Epidermal jaws; flaws in caps and corners). (6 leaves) for false title, title, list of subscribers; CXL pages for the Preface. Three hundred and sixty-seven lithographed plates each preceded by two pages of text. Provenance: Breton library. Certificate of free circulation. The birds of Great Britain. By John Gould. In five volumes. London, printed by Taylor and Francis. Published by the author. Extensions by the expert Paul Veyssière on rouillac.com. References : - Balis : Wonderful plumage. Ten centuries of bird books : "This work is one of the most sought-after, (Gould) occupies a very important place in the history of ornithology. His case is exceptional: before him, no one was both author of the text and the illustrations, his own impresario, his own publisher and sales agent, his own accountant and administrator... and on top of that, a great man of science." (N°108, page 126). - Nissen: IVB 371. - Sacheverell Sitwel (Fine bird books) pages 29 to 44 and page102. "The most popular of Gould's works is always likely to the Birds of Great Britain". (Page 40).