Lot 138: HARRIS, William Cornwallis (1807-1848). Portraits of the Game and Wild Animals of Southern Africa . London: published for the proprietor by William Pickering [and others], 1840[-1842].

HARRIS, William Cornwallis (1807-1848). Portraits of the Game and Wild Animals of Southern Africa. London: published for the proprietor by William Pickering [and others], 1840[-1842].

2° (570 x 422mm). 3pp. list of subscribers. Lithographic additional title with hand-coloured vignette, 30 hand-coloured plates by Frank Howard after Harris, 30 wood-engraved illustrations. (Light spotting, mainly confined to the text which is affected more heavily in a few gatherings, 5 plates heavily spotted, very small chip to corner, without the advertisements found in some copies.) Modern dark-brown half morocco over green cloth, spine gilt in compartments each with an animal tool, lettered in the second and third compartments, top edge gilt (resewn).

LARGE-PAPER ISSUE of 'one of the most important and valuable of the large folio works on South African fauna' (Mendelssohn). The first issue, with both titles dated 1840. Mendelssohn I, p.688; Tooley 247; Abbey Travel 355; Nissen ZBI 1843; Schwerdt I, p.231.