Books and Manuscripts

Gould, John
A Monograph of the Trogonidae, or Family of Trogons
London: Printed by Taylor and Francis…Published by the Author, (1858)-1875. Second edition. Elephant folio. Illustrated with 47 finely hand-colored lithographic plates, many heightened with gum arabic, by Gould, William Hart and Henry Constantine Richter. Full contemporary brown morocco, elaborately stamped in gilt, spine faded, rubbing to corners and extremities, rubbing to spine, small nick in top of same; all edges gilt; gilt dentelles; marbled endpapers; armorial book-plate of Henry George Charles, Viscount Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood (1882-1947) on front paste-down; scattered very light offsetting from plates. Anker 171; Sitwell, Fine Bird Books, p. 77; McGill/Wood 365; Zimmer, p. 261

A fine example of this expanded and revised edition of John Gould's work on these exotic and brilliantly colored tropical rain forest birds, considered one of the most beautiful ornithological works ever produced. Named after the Greek word for nibbling, and referring to their tendency to gnaw holes in trees to make their nests, trogon and quetzal birds are found worldwide, most notably in South America. Amounting to 46 species in seven genera, they are known for their brightly colored feathers and red, green, and yellow breasts, faithfully reproduced here in 47 dazzling hand-colored lithographs. Although Gould first published his account of the family of trogons in 1836 and 1838, he writes in the preface of this second edition that it "is in reality a new publication, all the plates having been redrawn, and many new species figured for the first time." Likewise, this work is enriched with the inclusion of 12 birds not found in his first account.