Portraits Of The Game And Wild Animals Of Southern Africa

London : W. Pickering, 1840. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/No Jacket. Portraits Of The Game And Wild Animals Of Southern Africa Delineated from Life in their Native Haunts, During a Hunting Expedition from the Cape Colony as far as the Tropic of Capricorn, in 1836 and 1837, with Sketches of the Field Sports. Drawn on Stone by Frank Howard. "One of the rarest of all books dealing with African big game and sport, this monumental presentation depicts wild game of southern Africa as encountered and studied by Harris. The tinted lithographs highlighted in colour by hand are especially lovely and make this volume exceptionally desireable. Included among the portraits are elephant, buffalo, rhinoceros, lion, leopard, kudu, roan, eland, and quagga, among others. Each of the illustrations is also enlivened by scenic backgrounds of the habitat. The portraits are highlighted with Harris' detailed descriptions of the game, habitat, and with occasional mention of his hunting adventures." [Czech, 1999 : 71/2]. "One of the most important and valuable of the large folio works on South African fauna.......In addition to the beautiful coloured engravings which render this work almost the most highly prized of the books relating to South African animals, every plate is accompanied by an exhaustive chapter upon the characteristics of the animal represented, as well as by a short sketch of its personal appearance, &c., and numerous engravings in the letterpress illustrate the notes." [Mendelssohn, Volume I, 1957 : 688/9]. 3/4 red leather + red cloth with gilt titles to spine. Five raised, ruled, bands with 6 spinal compartment and gilt embellishments in spinal compartments. All edges gilt. Marbled end-papers. Lithographed title-page + Title-page + Introduction + Contents + List of Subscribers. 30 hand-tinted lithograph illustrations. Vignettes (uncoloured) at the end of each section. Two title-pages bound in at rear, together with 3 copies of a list of the authors works. Plate VIII, trimmed and relaid on paper, inserted professionally. Some minor repairs to plates and elsewhere. Staining to margins of text in places, not affecting plates. Expected foxing throughout. 11 cm. tear in the leather at the base of spine. Some rubbing and wear to corners and edges of the leather. Some lifting to cloth in parts. Ex-libris R. Egerton Helme, with his book-plate on the front, paste-down. Captain R. Egerton Helme was a great benefactor of palaeontological and archaeological research. Five fossil animals were given the name helmei in recognition of his interest and financial support.. Our orders are shipped using tracked courier delivery services.