The Natural History of Dogs. Canidae or Genus Canis of Authors. Vols I & II. The Naturalist's Library. Mammalia Vols IX & X

EDINBURGH: W H LIZARS, 1839 A good set, complete in 2 volumes, covering both wild and domestic dogs. In contemporary half leather bindings with small gilted raised bands to spine; compartments for title and volume labels (now missing) and 3 further compartments with textured leather. Cloth boards. Vol I has the armorial bookplate of Sidney Wentworth of Longstowe Hall to the front pastedown endpaper and the signature of A Shafto Barthropp (a member of the same family) to the fep. Vol II also has the signature at the fep. Vol I with 30 hand coloured and 1 plain plate and Vol II with 36 hand coloured plates and 1 plain un-numbered plate placed in the text. Vol I: 1839 - covering wild dogs - half title; frontispiece portrait of Pallas; black and white vignette title page; 2 letterpress titles; advert; contents listing; half title; Memoir of Pallas and text 267pp; 30 hand coloured and 1 plain plate to rear all with tissue guards. Vol II: 1840 - covering domestic breeds (as well as some feral) - half title; frontispiece portrait of Don Felix D'Azara; black and white vignette title page with portrait of 'Fury'; 2 further title pages; advertisement; contents listing; note of additional contents to be added to Vol 26 in the series (Bees); errata note for Bees; Memoir and text with errata and 1 plain plate; note on plates omitted from Vol I; and 36 plates with tissue guards bound at the rear. The plates number to Plate 31 but there are 5 additional stared plates. Contents are clean throughout with general offsetting and marking to tissue guards. The plates are well coloured. There is the occasional spot on a few plates in Vol I. Vol I has some spotting to the foredge and top and bottom page edges, and light foxing at endpapers and early leaves - including first parts of the Memoir. Plate 1 in Vol I has a small crease at the top corner and Plate 12 has 'Plate 13' in very neat ink capitals written at the side edge (the top of the plate). Both bindings have rubbing to spine joints, edges and corners. The cloth is faded at the edges. Vol I has some splitting at the spine joints, particularly the front joint where there has been some repair, but the spine and boards are firmly attached. There are also a couple of small marks on the cloth. Please enquire if you would like to see additional images