BONAPARTE (CHARLES LUCIEN)


Iconographie des pigeons, FIRST EDITION, half-title, 55 hand-coloured lithographed plates after and by P. O. Oudart, F. Willy, and E. Blanchard, printed by Lemercier, some light spotting (mostly to text), modern red quarter morocco, 2 original printed parts wrappers loosely inserted [Fine Bird Books 60; Nissen IVB 117; Zimmer, p.78, "The hand-coloured plates are very fine"], folio (552 x 350mm.), Paris, P. Bertrand, 1857[-1858]
|Published with the intention of illustrating and describing all the pigeons not previously included in Knip and Temminck's Les Pigeons (1809-11). Originally 12 parts with a total of 150 plates were planned, but the author died when only 4 parts had appeared. Bonaparte's text was subsequently edited by A. Moquin-Tandon, and published with the 55 plates.