Birds of Europe. John Gould (1804-1881). London: by Richard and John E. Taylor, published by the Author 1832-37. Physical Description: 5 volumes. Folio (21 1/4 x 14 1/4 inches). 448 hand-colored lithographs [numbered to 449, nos. 447 and 448 on one] by C. Hullmandel after Elizabeth Gouldand Edward Lear, from John Gould’s sketches. Contemporary calf binding, rebacked to style (covers knicked). With gilt and blind roll tools, spine and binding edges gilt, 6 compartments with 5 raised bands. Book plate removed. First edition of Gould’s first multi-volume ornithological work, as opposed to monograph. Gould undertook this work partly in an effort to redress the imbalance between the study of local and foreign ornithology. In his preface he stated his mission: “the Birds of Europe, in which we are, or ought to be, most interested, have not received that degree of attention which they naturally demand. The present work has been undertaken to supply that deficiency.” Gould portrayed birds native to Europe in a manner that had only been thought appropriate for the colorful species of distant places, using specimens in museums and zoos in Holland, Germany and Switzerland. In this way he managed to draw much popular interest back to native birds, which were suddenly considered equally beautiful to exotic species. Though the majority of the plates in “The Birds of Europe” were drawn and lithographed by Elizabeth Gould, John Gould employed the masterly talents of Edward Lear for the first time, and his influence can be seen in many of the plates: “There is no doubt that Edward Lear was the first person to understand the art of lithography, and to use it to its fullest potential. It was a legacy that granted the fabled works of Gould their success, and took them into the forefront of nineteenth-century illustration” (Tree). A total of sixty-eight images bear Lear’s name: “they are certainly among the most remarkable bird drawings ever made, . it is evident that Lear endowed them with some measure of his own whimsy and intelligence, his energetic curiosity, his self-conscious clumsiness and his unselfconscious charm.” (Hyman). From the distinguished Arcadian Library (Natural History Collection), the leading repository of rare books recording the relations and influences between Europe and the Arab and Islamic world. Guidance: Sotheby’s, 2007, $145,000