A rare first edition of a landmark 19th-century book has gone on sale for £35,000.
The Birds of Great Britain by famed Victorian naturalist John Gould was published between 1862 and 1873 and features 367 hand-coloured lithographs.
It has been celebrated for its scientific accuracy and artistic quality.
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The illustrations are known for being striking and scientifically detailed, often showing birds in naturalistic settings.
Gould, who rose from humble beginnings as a gardener and taxidermist, became one of the most influential British ornithologists of the 19th century, as reported by What’s The Jam.
He has been called the greatest figure in bird illustration.
His talent lay in drawing rough sketches and having an uncanny eye for capturing the characteristics and differences of each species.
He would study, describe, and sketch the birds before his wife or later artists, including Henry Constantine Richter, William Matthew Hart, and Edward Lear, completed the hand-coloured lithographs.
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He would go on to publish an extraordinary 41 folios, as well as writing numerous scientific papers.
The Birds of Great Britain, a five-volume piece of work, will be offered at Tennants Auctioneers’ Books, Maps & Manuscripts Sale in Leyburn, North Yorkshire, on 22 August.
A spokesperson for Tennants said: “The illustrations were beautifully and carefully executed – artistic yet naturalistic depictions of birds set amongst appropriate foliage.”
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