Buy this book on-line

BOLTON, James : Harmonia Ruralis; or, an Essay towards a Natural History of British Song Birds

Quarto, two volumes in one (345 x 245 mm.). Modern half calf. Hand coloured engraved frontispiece and 80 plates in early colour. One plate with neat tear in the margin not reaching the plate mark. One bound upside down, an uncut example.

First edition, large paper copy, of the chief ornithological work by James Bolton. "This is perhaps the most ornate, or luxurious, work on British Song Birds of the last [i.e. eighteenth] century and it ought to remain in some sort of 'standard' treatise" (Coues). "Eleazer Albin had dealt with the same group in his 'Natural History of English Song Birds' in 1737, but his interest had been focused mainly on how to catch and train singing birds suitable to be kept in cages ... Bolton's aim was to improve on Albin's book by giving accurate pictures of both sexes of each species as well as their nest and eggs ... The very detailed text was prepared with great care and accuracy, the fruit of personal observation in the field as well as an inspection of specimens in hand. Bolton described every part of the bid, from the tip of its beak to the send of its tail, carefully noting any distinctive marks on the plumage. His word pictures, in fact, were frequently more evocative of the character of the bird than his art." Coues 4:369; Fine Bird Books pp. 60 & 78; Jackson, Etchings 169-180; Nissen IVB 115.

Bibliophile Bookbase for antiquarian books, maps and prints.