Sir Walter Lawry Buller

A History of the Birds of New Zealand. London: John van Voorst, 1873. 4° (305 x 235mm). Tinted lithographic frontispiece, 35 hand-coloured lithographic plates by and after John Gerrard Keulemans. (Frontispiece repaired in the inside margin and chipped at

Found at Christies, London
Travel, Science and Natural History, Lot 2
24. Apr - 24. Apr 2013
Estimate: 3.000 - 5.000 GBP
Price realised: 4.000 GBP
SIR WALTER LAWRY BULLER (1838-1906)
A History of the Birds of New Zealand. London: John van Voorst, 1873. 4° (305 x 235mm). Tinted lithographic frontispiece, 35 hand-coloured lithographic plates by and after John Gerrard Keulemans. (Frontispiece repaired in the inside margin and chipped at the bottom edge, with small tape repairs on verso, some spotting mainly in the text margins but also to the frontispiece.) Contemporary blue morocco by Leighton, upper board with Sherborne arms and gilt borders, spine richly gilt, with gilt turn-ins and edges, front wrapper of part 1 bound in at the end (extremities lightly rubbed). Provenance: James Henry Legge Dutton, 3rd Baron Sherborne (1804-1883), binding, bookplate. -- Edward Lenox Dutton (1831-1919), ornithologist, antiquarian, later 4th Baron Sherborne, signature to title-page dated 1877.
FIRST EDITION, SUBSCRIBER'S COPY. ONE OF ONLY 500 COPIES OF 'A MAJOR AND VALUABLE WORK' (Ellis/Mengel). 'It has been remarked by a celebrated naturalist that "New Zealand is the most interesting ornithological province in the world... It has been the author's desire to collect and place on record a complete life-history of these birds before their final extirpation' (prospectus). Issued in five parts, the work was an instantaneous success, containing what are 'often quoted as being KEULEMANS' FINEST DRAWINGS' (Jackson Bird Illustrators p.88). Cf. Anker 85; BM(NH) I, p.284; Ellis/Mengel 427; Nissen IVB, 163; Wood p.269; Zimmer p.114.

Auction result well in line with expectations

The work A History of the Birds of New Zealand. London: John van Voorst, 1873. 4° (305 x 235mm). Tinted lithographic frontispiece, 35 hand-coloured lithographic plates by and after John Gerrard Keulemans. (Frontispiece repaired in the inside margin and chipped at by Walter Lawry Buller was auctioned at Christies in London in April 2013. The price achieved of GBP 4,000.00 (€ 4,720.23) was within expectations - the estimate range had previously been set by the auction house as GBP 3,000.00 – 5,000.00. However, buyers have had to dig much deeper into their pockets for other works by Walter Lawry Buller - we have observed the highest auction result to date for the work A history of the birds of New Zealand, 1888; Supplement, 1905, together 4 volumes, which sold at auction in May last year for GBP 8,190.00 (€ 9,634.76).

Auktionsergebnis im Rahmen der Erwartungen

Die Arbeit A History of the Birds of New Zealand. London: John van Voorst, 1873. 4° (305 x 235mm). Tinted lithographic frontispiece, 35 hand-coloured lithographic plates by and after John Gerrard Keulemans. (Frontispiece repaired in the inside margin and chipped at von Walter Lawry Buller kam im April 2013 bei Christies in London zur Auktion. Der dabei erzielte Preis von GBP 4.000,00 (€ 4.720,23) lag im Rahmen der Erwartungen – die Schätzpreisspanne war von dem Auktionshaus zuvor mit GBP 3.000,00 – 5.000,00 angegeben worden. Für andere Arbeiten von Walter Lawry Buller mussten die Käufer allerdings auch schon deutlich tiefer in die Tasche greifen – das bisher höchste Auktionsergebnis haben wir für die Arbeit A history of the birds of New Zealand, 1888; Supplement, 1905, together 4 volumes beobachtet, die im Mai letzten Jahres für GBP 8.190,00 (€ 9.634,76) versteigert wurde.

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