A History of British Birds.

Fine illustrated and antiquarian Ornithology . 1st. Ed. Pub. Groombridge & Sons. 1851-1857. Six volume set with 358 fine hand-coloured plates. Royal 8vo. AEG. Occ. spotting, mostly light, o/w. contents fine. Neat pencil annotation to blank margin of Vol. V ‘Heard the Corncrake at Ripon, April 25th 1893’. Finely bound in 20th century crushed red half morocco, spines richly decorated and lettered in gilt in fine condition with spines just a little flecked. Comes with a hand-written letter (mounted on grey card) from Rev. F.O. Morris, Nafferton Vicarage, Driffield, 23rd October 1853. In the letter Morris recommends a book called ‘Taxidermy’ and suggests that the recipient take ‘a few lessons of a good bird stuffer, such as Stubbs of Ripon, or Graham of York. Very uncommon to come across any ephemera directly related to F.O. Morris. A very pleasing set of the first edition. F.O. Morris ‘entered Holy Orders, and held several curacies before being presented to the living of Nafferton in the East Riding of Yorkshire in 1844, vacating this early in 1854 (Mullens and Swann). Wonderful to think that this letter was written half way through writing the first edition of ‘A History of British Birds’.