"The Birds of Australia" by John Gould (8 volumes)

Gould, John. The birds of Australia. London, [1840]-69. Eight volumes large folio, with 681 hand-coloured lithographed plates by the author and Elizabeth Gould, H.C. Richter and Edward Lear, 3 double-page, contemporary dark green morocco, sides with broad gilt borders, spines fully gilt, gilt edges, by riviere. A little foxing, a few plates slightly affected. A fine set of this magnificent work, in Gould's own estimation his finest achievement. During his two years in Australia he travelled through New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania, and with the assistance of other collectors, was able to identify more than 300 new bird species. This is an original subscriber's set, with the bookplates of Lord Braybrooke of Audley End (included in the subscribers list as the Hon. Charles Neville). Some 250 sets were printed, of which many have been broken up and many others reside in institutional libraries: the number of sets remaining in private hands, in collector's condition, must now be very small.