Birds of the Island of Java, in 2 volumes

Pp. xv, 1-370; vi, 371-794, (1); with 34 color plates by Shigekazu Kobayashi and Nagahisa Kuroda, 2 folding maps.  Publisher’s original wine-red half-cloth over lighter red boards, spine is boldly lettered in gilt, in original tan dust jackets with tan labels, printed in black, for author, title and volume number, both volumes housed in the original shipping boxes, folio (15 x 11 inches).  A rare early work on the ornithology of Java, the largest of the islands of Indonesia.  This work presents the most comprehensive catalogue of Java birds, describing in detail 25 families and 225 species of Passeres in the first volume and the whole non-Passeres order in the second.  The images are crowded, typically ten to fifteen to a plate, and offer an excellent representation of the birds.  The majority of the plates are by Shigekazu Kobayashi, considered the leading bird artist in Japan.  Two plates are by author’s fourteen-year-old son, Nagahisa Kuroda.  No ownership marks.