The British Miscellany

Very good copy of Sowerby's answer to George Shaw's The Naturalist's Miscellany

Complete with all 76 plates (two folding) finely handcoloured engravings by this prolific artist

Includes "new, rare, or little known animal subjects many not before ascertained to be inhabitants of the British Isles and chiefly in the possession of the author." There are strange parasites that prey on sand bees or sprats, sea urchin, Norway king crab, Sowerby's beaked whale, sea worms and sea fans, a rare narwhal with two tusks, starfish, cuttlefish, beetles, flies, corals and sponges, a water shrew, ducks, brown trout, bee-eaters and grebes.

This is the re-issue from Bernard Quaritch with new title page and corrected and completed index "after the purchase of the [original] stock in May 1875"

New title page, corrected index, original title page, dedication to Francis Lord Seaforth and James Brodie Esq. (who supplied specimens to the author), preface, corrected index (duplicate), 60 handcoloured plates and 1-132 text pages (Vol. I), 16 handcoloured plates and 1-32 text pages (Vol. II), original index 133-136 pages (to Vol. I)

Originally issued in 12 parts, the first five with four plates, the remainder with eight plates each. According to Anker, the stock was later bought by Quaritch and reissued in 1875 with a new title page (this copy)

James Sowerby (1757-1822) was a tireless English naturalist, illustrator, conchologist, mineralogist and mycologist. He began as a botanical illustrator for William Curtis (on Flora Londinensis and the Botanical Magazine), before contributing over 2,500 botanical plates to Sir James Edward Smith's series English Botany 1790-1814. He also illustrated William Woodville's Medical Botany 1790-93, and his own works English Fungi 1789-91, British Miscellany 1804-1806, British Mineralogy 1802-17, Exotic Mineralogy 1811, among others.

Later Victorian half-leather binding in blue morocco, spine with five raised gilt bands, red leather label with gilt title, leather cracked and worn, light blue cloth boards rubbed, book block solid, all edges uncut. Slight overall age toning to all pages, but plates fresh and clean with superb handcolour. Faint offsetting to a few plates.

A very good copy of this curious zoological rarity.