Together, two works in 13 volumes bound in 6, 4to (342 x 264 mm). 103 engraved plates with hand coloring, comprising: Wilson, 76 engraved plates with hand-coloring; Bonaparte, 27 engraved plates with hand-coloring. (Some spotting to a few volumes, some offsetting, a few imprints bound tight or just shaved.) Uniformly bound in mid-19th-century polished green calf elaborately gilt in a foliate motif, sides with red morocco onlays gilt, spines in 6 compartments with 5 raised bands, tan morocco lettering-pieces in 2, the rest with tan morocco onlays gilt, board edges and turn-ins gilt, edges gilt, STAMP-SIGNED BY JOHN WRIGHT (upper cover to vols. I & II of Bonaparte's work neatly reattached, some light rubbing to extremities, a few minor scratches). 

FIRST EDITION OF THE FIRST AMERICAN BIRD BOOK WITH COLOR PLATES PUBLISHED IN AMERICA. Second state of the text on p.33 of Volume I of Wilson's work.

Alexander Wilson, the "father of American ornithology," emigrated to America from Scotland in 1794. Though not a naturalist by training, he was fascinated with the American landscape and varieties of birds he had never seen before.  Naturalist William Bartram encouraged him to cultivate his interest, and in 1807, Wilson secured an editorial position with Philadelphia publisher Samuel Bradford, who he persuaded to finance his monumental American Ornithology. 

Many of the plates were engraved by Alexander Lawson. Wilson died before the final three volumes of his work were published, and George Ord completed the text for the work. A decade later, Charles Bonaparte issued his sequel to Wilson's work.  Bonaparte's work included the first published bird plate from a drawing by John James Audubon (Plate IV, the female great crow-blackbird). Wilson's work, along with Bonaparte's, established the foundation for the study of birds in America.  Anker 533 ("the classical work of American ornithological literature"); Bennett, p. 114; Fine Bird Books, p. 114; Nissen IVB 992; Sabin 104597 and 6264; Reese Stamped with a National Character 3 ("the first American work to use color plates to convey scientific information"); Zimmer 679 and 64. A FINE COPY.