Lot 55: TEMMINCK, Coenraad Jacob (1778-1858) and Antoinette Pauline Jacqueline KNIP née Pauline de Courcelles (1781-1851). Histoire Naturelle Générale des Pigeons . Paris: Garneray, 1808[-1811].

TEMMINCK, Coenraad Jacob (1778-1858) and Antoinette Pauline Jacqueline KNIP née Pauline de Courcelles (1781-1851). Histoire Naturelle Générale des Pigeons. Paris: Garneray, 1808[-1811].

One volume (as published in this form, see below), 2° (530 x 340mm). 87 fine coloured plates after Knip, etched by Cisar Macret, all printed in colours and finished by hand. (Light spotting throughout, preliminaries, title and dedication with light vertical crease, paper flaw with tiny marginal loss to top edge of leaves 7.2 and 9.2 in part 2.) Contemporary green morocco, sides tooled in gilt and blind, gilt spine, gilt turn-ins, gilt edges (neat repairs to covers, spine slightly sunned, light rubbing at extremities.) Provenance: George Savile Foljambe (bookplate).

ONE OF ONLY TWELVE COPIES 'APPROVED' BY TEMMINCK. This issue includes the text as originally envisioned by the author before the alterations made for Madame Knip's second issue. The work was issued in 15 parts, initially under the control of Temminck who was based in Amsterdam. However, at the time of the publication of the ninth part Madame Knip apparently appropriated the work, issued a new title and made some alterations to the text, and the work was eventually published under the title Les Pigeons, par Madame Knip with the title dated 1811. A second volume, issued under Madame Knip's control, with text by Prevost, and 60 additional plates, was added to the second edition published between 1838 and 1843.

'The copies which Temminck received from Madame Knip, among which eight were due to him as author, were not altered, and bore the title [as above]... Only twelve such copies were approved by Temminck' (Anker 261); cf. Coues pp.794-797; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990) p.113; Nissen IVB 511; Ronsil p.466 and cf. 2890; cf. Zimmer pp.356-7.

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