June 2021 Catalogue

N a t u r a l H i s t o r y 7 With Over 900 Wood Engravings Of British Birds, Fishes And Reptiles 5. YARRELL, William. A History of British Fishes. Two volumes. WITH: A History of British Birds. Three volumes. WITH: BELL, Thomas. A History of British Reptiles. London, 1836, 1843, 1849. Together, six volumes. Octavo, late 19th-century straight-grain dark green morocco gilt. $3200. Click for more info First editions of Yarrell’s two great natural histories, together with the second edition of Bell’s work on British reptiles, profusely illustrated with over 900 fine wood engravings, in handsome uniform morocco-gilt bindings by E. Riley & Son. “These works… contain accurate figures, with accompanying descriptions, of every known variety of British fish or bird; and they have from the first taken their position as the standard authorities on the subject in our language. Few books on natural history are more agreeable to the general reader: the style is ever pleasant, and the truth with which he describes the habits of the birds is such as might have been expected from the keen sportsman who had so often watched their motions when at liberty in their native haunt” (Allibone, 2882). Armorial bookplates. Text and plates quite clean. An about-fine set of important natural histories, uniformly and handsomely bound.