Birds Of Prey. A Facsimile Of The 1919 Edition With A New Foreword. Thorburn, Archibald (& Grahame, Major Iain). Fine Illustrated And Antiquarian Ornithology

pp.[viii], [ii], iii plus 12 mounted colour plates each with supporting page of text. Folio. Hardback. TEG. Hand-made paper and marbled end-papers. Very minor spotting indeed o/w. contents fine. Original three-quarter dark green morocco with gilt lettering and decoration in nr. fine condition. This edition was limited to just 145 copies of which 135 (numbered 16 to 150) were for sale. Ten hors de commerce copies were also produced and lettered A to J - this copy being hors de commere copy I. A most pleasing copy. "First published in 1919 and limited to only one hundred and fifty copies, it has always been a great scarcity. One reason is that it was never issued in book form, but rather as a portfolio of lithographed prints, with an accompanying page of text. Many of them have been split up and framed, so only a very few copies remain in their original format. To commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of Thorburn’s death, on 9 October 1935, I am proud to be republishing this little known work" Major Iain Grahame.