SHARPE, R. Bowdler (1847–1909). Monograph of the Paradiseidae, or Birds of Paradise, and Ptilonorhynchidae, or Bower-birds. London: Taylor and Francis for Henry Sotheran, 1891-1898.

First and only edition of Sharpe’s monumental bird book. The striking life-size led Sitwell to call Sharpe’s monograph “the last of the fine bird books” (Sitwell). A magnificent work, it can be regarded as both a continuation and consolidation of Gould’s The Birds of New Guinea (1875-88) which Sharpe himself had completed after Gould’s death. Although Sharpe’s chief aim was to figure and describe newly-discovered species, only some plates are entirely new, others are printed from the stones used by Gould and Sharpe in the earlier work, and some are redrawn. BM(NH) IV,p.1910; Sitwell Fine Bird Books p.142; Nissen IVB 865; Wood p.565 (“a splendid monograph”); Zimmer p.581.

Two volumes, folio (550 × 370mm). 79 hand-colored lithographic plates by W. Hart, some after J. Gould and J.G. Keulemans, additional in-text diagrams and photographic illustrations (occasional light spotting and offsetting mostly on text leaves). Modern gold-tooled green morocco, edges gilt, marbled endleaves (rehinged, lightly rubbed, few light scratches).