Printed and Manuscript Americana

Philadelphia: Bradford and Inskeep, 1808-1814/Philadelphia: Samuel Augustus Mitchell, Carey, Lea, and Carey, 1825-1833. Together two works in 13 volumes. 4to. Comprising 103 total engraved plates with hand coloring: Wilson, 76 engraved plates with hand-coloring; Bonaparte, 27 engraved plates with hand-coloring. (Offsetting of plates to text, some spotting and browning heavier in a few volumes, a few leaves with marginal tears or minor losses to blank margins. Wilson: Vol. II leaf 2D1 with tear crossing ca. 9 lines of text.) 19th-century half red morocco, marbled boards, spines gilt (some rubbing and wear, a few hinges starting, a few endleaves becoming detached). Provenance: Isaac Norris (engraved bookplates, erased signatures on titles). Anker 533 ("the classical work of American ornithological literature"); Bennett, p. 114; Fine Bird Books, p. 114; Nissen IVB 992; Sabin 104597 and 6264; Reese Stamped with a National Character 3 ("the first American work to use color plates to convey scientific information"); Zimmer 679 and 64.

First edition of the first American bird book with color plates published in America.

Second state of the text on p. 33 of Volume I of Wilson's work (with line 23 ending: "I have myself"). Alexander Wilson, the "father of American ornithology," emigrated to America from Scotland in 1794. Though not a naturalist by training, he was fascinated with the American landscape and varieties of birds he had never seen before. Naturalist William Bartram encouraged him to cultivate his interest, and in 1807, Wilson secured an editorial position with Philadelphia publisher Samuel Bradford, who he persuaded to finance his monumental American Ornithology. 

Many of the plates were engraved by Alexander Lawson. Wilson died before the final three volumes of his work were published, and George Ord completed the text for the work. A decade later, Charles Bonaparte issued his sequel to Wilson's work. Bonaparte's work included the first published bird plate from a drawing by John James Audubon (Plate IV, the female great crow-blackbird). Wilson's work, along with Bonaparte's, established the foundation for the study of birds in America.