Peter Collinson Corpus Containing an Extra-illustrated Catesby Natural History plus additional volume of Watercolors including William Bartram's earliest works

The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands: . 2 volumes, London 1731 and 1743, first edition, large Folio (529 x 363mm.). 18th-Century old russia, gilt edges, the spine in compartments lettered in gilt ‘NAT HIST OF FLORIDA’, ‘VOL I’ and ‘NATURAL HIST OF FLORIDA’, ‘VOL II’, Charles Streynsham Collinson’s (Peter Collinson’s grandson) bookplate on the front pastedown of vol. 1, and the 13th Earl of Derby’s bookplate on front pastedown of vol. 2 (pasted over C.S. Collinson’s bookplate), inscriptions ‘Knowsley / Private Library East / North Bookcase C / Shelf 1. No. 4’ and ‘Knowsley /Private Library East / North Bookcase C / Shelf 1. No. 5’ Title-pages and text in English and French, text double-column, numbering of pages 101-120 in vol. 2 erased to read 1-20. 220 handcolored etched plates by Catesby and Ehret (plates 10 and 11 in vol. 2 bound in reverse), with engraved map, extra-illustrated (with plates and original drawings by Mark Catesby, Georg Dionysius Ehret, William Bartram and others), presentation copies to the author’s patron and sponsor Peter Collinson, inscriptions on the front free endpaper of volume 1 (transcribed below) and the title page “This Edition of this Noble Work is very Valuable, as it was highly Finish’d by the Ingenious Author who in Gratitude made Me This Present for the considerable sums of money I lent Him without Interest to enable Him to publish It, for the benefit of Himself & Family, Else Through Necessity, it must have fallen Prey to the Booksellers. Peter Collinson F.R.S. S.A.S A.R.S. Sveccia Socius”, and “C.S. Collinson” (ownership inscription), “P.Collinson” and “C.S. Collinson” (ownership inscriptions) on the title page of volume 2, this copy with two single dedication leaves in English: “To the Queen” in vol. 1 and “To.the Princess of Wales” in vol. 2, list of subscribers following the dedication in vol. 2, the 3-leaf Index to both volumes, in English, French and Latin, following “An Account of Carolina” (numbered i-xliv), a 20-page Appendix (pp. 1-20) and its single Index leaf (in English and Latin, with a list of the plates in French) at end of vol. 2. AND A commonplace book containing 75 watercolors and drawings by and attributed to William Bartram, Mark Catesby, George Edwards, Georg Dionysius Ehret, and others, including William Bartram’s A Draught of John Bartram’s House and Garden as it appears from the River, together with 127 handcolored engravings from Catesby’s Natural History (73), George Edwards’ A Natural History of Birds, A Natural History of Uncommon Birds and Gleanings of Natural History (14), Johann Jacob Dillen Dillenius’s Hortus Elthamensis (29) and others Large folio (440 x 290mm.), 20th century half-bound morocco with marbled paper covered boards, spine in compartments, lettered in gilt “PAINTINGS / OF BIRDS / AND FLOWERS’, the 13th Earl of Derby’s bookplate on front pastedown, inscribed (by Lord Derby) ’Purchased 19 April 1842 at the Sale of Mr Lambert’s Library / Lot 206 £ s d by Boone for me / Derby / Knowsley” on the front free end paper PROVENANCE PETER COLLINSON (1694-1768) to Charles Streynsham Collinson (1753-1834), to Aylmer Bourke Lambert (1761-1842), to Edward Smith Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby (1775-1851), to Edward Richard William Stanley, the 19th Earl of Derby (b.19) COMPLETE DESCRIPTION AND IMAGES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST. …