Vieillot, L[ouis] P[ierre] | With handsome colored plates of tropical birds

Property from the Library of John M. Schiff

Vieillot, L[ouis] P[ierre]

Histoire naturelle des plus beaux oiseaux chanteurs de la zone torride. Paris: J.E. Gabriel Dufour, 1805

Folio (518 x 330 mm). Large paper copy, half-title, title-page, 72 engraved plates by L. Bouquet after J.G. Pretre, printed in colors by Langlois and finished by hand; light to moderate foxing throughout, with plates 39, 66, and 67 particularly browned and foxed, though the rest are bright, occasional light offsetting. In contemporary full diced calf, spine with raised bands in 7 compartments, second and sixth lettered in gilt, others with repeat gilt motif, boards with gilt tooled border, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers; rebacked with original spine still preserved, rubbed at extremities, some scratches to boards. 

This finely produced work was issued in twelve editions from 1805 onwards, but the date of completion is uncertain. It contains descriptions and figures of tropical finches, weaverbirds, and tanagers, the prints being similar in style to those of Audebert and Desmarest.

REFERENCE:

Anker 514; Fine Bird Books p. 112; Nissen IVB 956; Wood, p. 612; Zimmer, p. 654