THE BOOK OF ANTELOPES

First edition: 4 volumes: I. xxxv, 220. II. vi, 194. III. vi, 239,[1]. IV. vi, 242 pages, 4to (290 x 230 mm), 100 fine hand coloured lithographic plates printed by M and N. Hanhart mainly after Wolf and Smit, 121 illustrations in the text, uncut edges, original brown cloth boards with gilt vignettes of an antelope on the upper cover, titled gilt on the spine, title pages of volums I to III lighlty foxed, some foxing on the uncut edges, a very good set.

Originally published in 17 parts between August 1894 and August 1900. 'The authors of the present work have no intention of offering to their readers a complete scientific treatise on the Mammals of the Family Bovidae or on any section of it. Their main object is to furnish descriptive letterpress for the beautiful series of lithographic plates drawn some twenty years ago under the supervision of the late Sir Victor Brooke, making thereto such necessary modifications and additions as the progress of science demands. This letterpress, however, will contain a full synonymy of all the species of Antelopes recognised as valid, whether here figured or not, together with such descriptions as will facilitate their identification, and all particulars concerning their habits and distribution that have been recorded by naturalists and sportsmen up to the present time.' Introduction.

 Mendelssohn (Sydney) South African Bibliography, volume 2, page 292, This magnificent work was originally conceived by the late Sir Victor Brooke, "under whose supervision the greater number of the plates and other illustrations were prepared." Sir Victor died in 1891, "when still in the prime of life . . . leaving his great work still unfinished, and represented mainly by a series of over a hundred lithographic plates, which . . . have formed the basis of the present work. The MSS. . . . were also kindly placed at my disposal by the family," but an entirely new work had to be written by Mr. Sclater and Mr. Thomas, the latter contributing "the synonomy and scientific descriptions, "and the former "the ordinary letterpress."