[NATURAL HISTORY]. JARDINE, William (1800-1874). Leaves from the Book of Nature, Containing the Principal Illustrations in Jardine's Naturalist's Library. Edinburgh: W.H. Lizars; London: S. Highly; Dublin: W. Curry, [1846].

Folio (550 x 424 mm). Pictorial title-page with hand-coloring, 116 (of 117) engraved plates with hand-coloring. (Some spotting and browning, small corner chip to most plates, a few pencil drawings on versos.) Contemporary cloth (light fraying at spines ends, some scuffs to covers, spine label removed, hinges reinforced).

A RARE OVERSIZE FORMAT, unrecorded by the major bibliographies. The work is divided into four divisions: Mammalia (comprising 39 plates), Ornithology (comprising 42 plates), Ichthyology (comprising 18 plates), and Entomology (comprising 18 plates). We record only one other copy of this format sold at auction in the last 30 years (possibly this copy). See previous lot for Jardine's Naturalist Library where these illustrations appear in their octavo format.

Property from the Estate of Peter Fortsas