PORTRAITS OF THE GAME AND WILD ANIMALS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA

Delineated from life in their native haunts, during a hunting expedition from the Cape Colony as far as the Tropic of Capricorn in 1836 and 1837, with sketches of the field sports.

(vii) + 175 pages, folio (540 x 365 mm), hand coloured lithographic title page (dated 1840 as is the printed title page), 30 hand coloured lithographic plates drawn on stone by Frank Howard, printed on large (Columbier) paper with the lithographed chapter tail pieces, contemporary half dark red morocco, spine richly gilt decorated in panels, new leather title label, dark red cloth sides, marbled endpaper with cloth hinges, all edges gilt, two bookplates on the front paste-down endpaper. Lacks the contents page and list of subscribers.

All but the last plate, XXX. Hyæna Crocuta: The Spotted Hyæne, are bright and free of foxing, plate XXX is lightly spotted. The text is clean and bright. A card loosely inserted into a pocket mounted on the rear paste-down endpaper describes a comprehensive restoration process undertaken by R.J. Quinton (the then restorer at the Library of Parliament, Cape Town.), ‘Broken down – each page and plate cleaned, de-foxed by chemical process. Torn pages repaired. Marbled end-leaved de-foxed. White backing paper painted to match marbled paper edges. Acid-free boards used for new covers – original covers beyond repair. Original leather corners and spine replaced and repaired. New leather gold tooled label, original label beyond repair. Hand sewn head-bands. Covers and spine oiled. Acid-free tissue paper placed on the plates, to be re-newed periodically. R.J. Quinton. Restorer (paper), 14th December 1979.

Abbey (J.R.) Travel in Aquatint and Lithography 1779 – 1860, number 335, pages 287 - 290.
‘Published in five parts at £2. 2s. each part, on large (Columbier) paper, with tail-pieces, or at £1. 1s. each part of ordinary (Imperial) paper without tail-pieces. The book was finally published in volume form in 1843 at £10. 10s. (possibly in half morocco) and £5. 5s. respectively.’

Mendelssohn(S.) South African Bibliography, volume 1, page 688-9. ‘One of the most important and valuable of the large folio works on South African fauna….. In addition to the beautiful coloured engravings (sic) which render this work almost the most highly prized of the books relating to South African animals, every plate is accompanied by an exhaustive chapter upon the characteristics of the animal represented, as well as by a short sketch of its personal appearance.’

London, Published for the Proprietor, by W. Pickering, Chancery Lane, and to be had of P. & D. Colnaghi, Pall Mall East; W. Wood, Tavistock Street, Covent Garden; T. Cadell, Strand.