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Bewick, Thomas : A General History of Quadrupeds. The Figures Engraved on Wood; The Eighth Edition

Printed by Edw. Walker, for T. Bewick, and Son; Longman and Co. London; and Wilson and Sons, York., Newcastle upon Tyne, England, 1824

Eighth Edition. Contemporary brown full leather binding. Gilt lettering on red leather spine label. Lightly embossed borders decorations on front and back covers. All edges marbled. 5 1/2" x 8 3/4." 526 pages, complete. Many black-and-white illustrations, complete. Pages are very clean and intact except for light age toning, moderate foxing (mostly concentrated in front pages), small occasional chips limited to the edges, and fading to marbled edges. Covers are very clean and intact except for slight wear to extremities, light rubbing, and possible fading along spine. Binding is tight. A Very Good copy. Thomas Bewick (c. 1753-1828) was an English wood engraver and natural history writer. First published in 1790, A General History of Quadrupeds is a compendium describing different four-footed animals, many of which are also illustrated through Bewick's engravings. For this book, Bewick drew upon the (often limited) scientific research available and his own knowledge and observations of the natural world. When such knowledge or information was unavailable, Bewick sometimes took creative license in his renditions of unfamiliar animals (such as the giraffe and hippopotamus) and their corresponding natural environments. The descriptions for each animal range from a brief paragraph to several pages. The late eighteenth century marked a time when the British public had an increased interest in the natural sciences. This interest, coupled with the book's readable text and Bewick's charming engravings, secured his General History of Quadrupeds as a commercial success. A sampling of the quadrupeds described herein are the horse, cow, ox, sheep, goat, musk deer, cameleopard, camel, peccary, rhinoceros, elephant, lion, tiger, serval , ichneumon, genet, polar bear, dog (various breeds), wolf, rabbit, guinea pig, capybara, dormouse, squirrel, jerboa, beaver, radiated mole, opossum, kangaroo, capuchin monkey, orangutan, porcupine, tanrec, sea otter, armadillo, long-eared bat, wombat, and "an amphibious animal" (the yet-to-be-named platypus). Several of Bewick's engravings feature his signature trademark of creating imaginative environments for his depicted subjects. For example, the "American Elk" shows one such elk in the foreground but with another fleeing for its life from hunters in the background.. Book. Book Condition: Very Good. Binding: Hardcover

5th or later Edition

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