THE BIRDS OF SOUTH AFRICA

New edition thoroughly revised and augmented. 890 pages, pages 856-867 missing as usual (probably never published), 12 hand coloured plates by Keulemans, plates VIII and X bound out of sequence, half brown morocco which is worn along the edges of the spine, green cloth sides, bookplate on front paste-down endpaper, fore-edge and bottom edges uncut, top edge gilt, original brown paper wrappers of parts 1 – VI bound in at the end of the volume, the contents and the plates are bright.

It is very unusual to have the original wrappers bound in with the book. ‘To be completed in Six Parts with at least 12 coloured plates,’ is printed at the top of each front wrapper. At the bottom of each wrapper the following appears, ‘Price to Subscribers for the work, whatever it may make, £2. 2s.; no Part is sold separately. The buyer engages himself to take the whole. No extra charge will be made to Subscribers, should the Author consider it necessary to extend the work.’

On the verso of the first four wrappers the publisher notes, ‘N.B. Mr Quartich has decided upon issuing this work in four parts in accordance with the following letter received from Mr Bowdler Sharpe.’

British Museum, April 19, 1875.

Dear Mr Quaritch,

The new edition of Layard’s ‘Birds of South Africa’ contains an account of the birds inhabiting about double the area of the country included by the author of the original work, and I find that in the case of many of the families a complete treatment of the subject de novo in necessary.

As this will take a little time to accomplish satisfactorily, I would propose to you, if you have no objection, to issue the work in a few separate parts instead of in a complete volume.

As a considerable amount of the MS is already printed off, the first part, containing the Accipitres, might be published at once, and the second part will follow in the course of a few weeks.

It seems only fair to yourself as the publisher and to the subscribers, to issue that portion of the work which is already completed. The remainder of the work will be finished in the course of the summer.

Believe me, Yours truly, R. Bowdler Sharpe.

The final part is headed; Part VI. (Completion). April 1884.

Mendelssohn (Sidney) South African Bibliography volume, 1 page 872: quotes from the note on the wrappers, ‘This edition contains an account of the birds inhabiting about double the area of country included by the author of the original work. In many of the families a complete treatment of the subject, de novo, was considered necessary by Mr. Sharpe. There are twelve coloured engravings.’