L'Histoire de la Nature des Oyseaux, avec Leuers Descriptions, & Naifs Portraicts Retirez du Naturel, 7 Parts complete, bound in one volume

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L'Histoire de la Nature des Oyseaux, avec Leuers Descriptions, & Naifs Portraicts Retirez du Naturel, 7 Parts complete, bound in one volume

By Belon, Pierre

SKU# 18076

$ 9,750.00

Pp. (28), 381, (1, colophon); general title and six divisional titles each with a large woodcut device, 161 woodcuts in the text, including a portrait of the author, 2 skeletons, and 158 large cuts of birds.  Eighteenth-century brown one-quarter calf leather over sprinkled paper-covered boards (the boards are likely the original due to a faint imprint of another cover beneath the sprinkled paper and due to fact that the book is sewn on alum-tawed thongs laced into the boards), tall 4to (13 x 9 inches).  Belon’s L'Histoire is “one of the earliest books dealing entirely with birds” (Ayer, Zimmer, p. 52).  The present volume was intended as a compendium of ornithology and contains (the author’s) important comparison of human and avian skeletons, which became the foundation of the science of comparative anatomy (see comments in Ronsil, no. 189).  This work is a handsome example of the Cavellat issue of this important Renaissance work of science -- one of earliest printed ornithological books (See Nissen IVB 86; Norman 180; Mortimer French 50). Small bookplate on the front free endpaper, old name in ink crossed off the upper outer corner of the title page, no other ownership marks.

Publisher Guillaume Cavellat
Publisher Place Paris
Date Published 1555
Date Published Estimated No
Edition First edition
Number of Volumes 1
Reprint No
Condition Near fine
Condition Description Two pages have small marginal tears to paper with no effect to the text, the front attached endpaper has two old creases from the board that extend into the first section of the text, all of the text-pages and woodcuts are very bright and clean; a tight and clean copy in near fine condition.
ISBN
Limited Edition