Published by H. F. & G. Witherby, 1927
Seller: Arader Galleries - AraderNYC, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. London: H. F. & G. Witherby, 1927. 4 Vols of 5. Quarto (10 3/4"x 7 1/2", 275mm x 190mm). With 100 colored plates after H. Grönvold and 4 maps. Bound in red buckram, gilt. On the smooth spine, gilt. Extremities rubbed. Spine sunned. Light foxing and discoloration throughout. The Birds of the Malay Peninsula is an important reference book, covering many species and beautifully illustrated. Vol. I: The Commoner Birds (1927). Vol. II: The Birds of the Hill Stations (1928). Vol. III: Birds of the Shore and Estuaries (1936). Vol. IV: Birds of the Low-Country Jungle and Scrub (1939). Herbert Christopher Robinson (1874-1929), a British zoologist and ornithologist, was Director of Museums in the Federated Malay States in the early 20th Century. At his retirement in 1926, he began writing this the first of a 5 volume series. He was able to complete the first 2 volumes before his death in 1929. Frederick Nutter Chasen used Robinson's notes to complete volumes 3 and 4. Chasen (1896-1942) was an English zoologist, who became Director of the Raffles Museum in Singapore in 1932. He traveled broadly on behalf of the Museum and became an authority on Southeast Asian birds and mammals. The fifth volume was delayed by Chasen's death in 1942. It was completed by Lord Medway and David Wells in 1976.