William Lewin's
Birds of Great Britain
[ First edition watercolors | Second edition engravings ]
First Edition
William Lewin. Watercolor drawings from The Birds of Great Britain, with Their Eggs, Accurately Figured. London, 1789-1794. First edition. Quarto. Most with minor imperfections to paper, as to be expected. Otherwise, all in very good condition.
These charming ornithological drawings are the creation of William Lewin (1747-1795), a London born illustrator turned natural history artist. The first edition of his Birds of Great Britain, begun in 1789, was a remarkable undertaking, as it contained 323 original watercolor illustrations (271 birds, 52 eggs), each of which he painted sixty times over for his subscribers. Thus this work has been described as "the rarest of all English bird books" as it is unique among such works for its original drawings. Lewin's images are simple and delicate, one bird to a picture, pictured in some characteristic pose. The colors are soft and muted, lightly applied, befitting the limpid quality of the medium. For the age, comprehensive treatment of the subject, and the extraordinary way the images were created, this is a special ornithological work.
SecondEdition
William Lewin. Prints from The Birds of Great Britain, Systematically Arranged, Accurately Engraved, and Painted from Nature.... London, 1795-1801. Second edition. Quarto. Etchings by William Lewin, and his sons Thomas, Thomas William, and John William. Original hand coloring. Excellent condition.
The demand for Lewin's fine work from Birds of Great Britain, combined with the limits imposed by his having done its plates all by watercolor, led him in 1793 to begin a second edition of etched plates, allowing for relatively more copies to be published. Lewin, who was reaching the end of his life, was joined in this project by his three talented sons, all of whose work is credited individually on the separate plates. The result of this wonderful family enterprise is a series of winning and refined images, with each bird posed on a summary branch and often caught in a naturalistic, active pose. These are charming reminders of the wealth of activity during this exciting period of natural history.
- Frontispiece. "Cross-billed variety of Great Titmouse." $90
- 1. "Sea Eagle." $150
- 3. "Ringtail Eagle." $120
- 4. "Grey Eagle." $120
- 6. "Wood Buzzard." $90
- 7. "Honey Buzzard." $100
- 8. "Moore Buzzard." $90
- 9. "Goss Hawk." $100
- 10. "Kite." [Illustrated above right] $110
- 11. "Falcon Gentil." $110
- 15. "Lanner Falcon." $130
- 16. "Jer Falcon." $125
- 18. "Hen Harrier." $100
- 18*. "Hen Harrier." (female) $100
- 19*. "Kestril Female." $100
- 21. "Hobby." $100
- 31. "Wood-Chat." $100
- 42. "Golden Oriole." $125
- 44. "Cuckow." $90
- 51. "Wry-Neck." $100
- 52. "Nuthatch." $90
- 53. "Kings Fisher." $125
- 55. "Creeper." $85
- 56. "Stareling." $90
- 58. "Rose-Colored Ouzel." $110
- 59. "Ring Ouzel." $90
- 60. "Black Ouzel." $90
- 61. "Missel Thrush." $100
- 62. "Song Thrush." $110
- 63. "Heath Thrush." $90
- 64. "Red Wing." $90
- 65. "Fieldfare." $125
- 66. "Chatterer." [Illustrated above left] $125
- 67. "Crossbill." $120
- 69. "Bullfinch." $110
- 73. "Chaffinch." $110
- 74. "Brambling." $90
- 75 "Goldfinch." $110
- 76. "Siskin." $90
- 77. "Grey Linnet." $90
- 78. "Red Breasted Linnet." $90
- 79. "Red Pole." $90
- 80. "Twite." $90
- 81. "Snow Bunting." $100
- 81*. "Tawney Bunting." $90
- 82. "Reed Bunting." $90
- 84*. "Green-Headed Bunting." $90
- 90. "Grasshopper Lark." $80
- 91. "Tit Lark." $90
- 92. "Field Lark." $90
- 93. "Spotted Flycatcher." $90
- 94. "Pied Flycatcher." $90
- 94*. "Pied Flycatcher." (female) $80
- 95. "Pied Wagtail." $80
- 96. "Grey Wagtail." $90
- 97. "Yellow Wagtail." $125
- 98. "Fantail Warbler." $80
- 99. "Nightingale." $125
- 100. "Black- Cap Warbler." $80
- 100*. "Black- Cap Warbler." (female) $80
- 101. "Greater Petty-Chaps." $90
- 102. "Lesser Petty-Chaps." $80
- 103. "Hedge Warbler." $80
- 104. "Red Tail." $85
- 105. "White Throat." $90
- 106. "Lesser White Throat." $85
- 107. "Sedge Warbler." $85
- 108. "Dartford Warbler." $100
- 109. "Red Breast." $120
- 110. "Stone Chat." $120
- 111. "Whin Chat." $85
- 112. "Wheat-Ear." $120
- 113. "Reed Wren." $90
- 116. "Golden-Crested Wren." $90
- 120. "Marsh Tit." $85
- 122. "Long Tail Tit." $85
- 123. "Bearded Tit." $80
- 125. "House Martin." $85
- 126. "Sand Martin." $85
- 127. "Swift." $85
- 128. "Night Swallow." $100
- 129. "Stock Pigeon." $85
- 130. "Ring Pigeon." $85
- 133. "Great Grouse." $125
- 134. "Black Grouse." $85
- 135. "Ptarmigan." $85
- 136. "Red Grouse." $85
- 137. "Partridge." $90
- 138. "Guernsey Partridge." $100
- 139. "Quail." $85
- 141. "Little Bustard." $100
- 142. "Thick-Kneed Bustard." $85
- 145. "Stork." $125
- 146. "Night Heron." $135
- 147. "Bittern." $100
- 148. "Little Bittern." $150
- 149. "Common Heron." $175
- 150. "Egret." $120
- 154. "Curlew." $85
- 155. "Whimbrel." $85
- 156. "Pygmy Curlew." $85
- 157. "White Heron." $150
- 158. "Great Snipe." $85
- 159. "Common Snipe." $85
- 160. "Jack Snipe." $85
- 162. "Grey Godwit." $85
- 164. "Green Shank." $85
- 165. "Spotted Snipe." $85
- 166. "Red Shank." $85
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