BEWICK, THOMAS.

History of British Birds. The Figures engraven on Wood by T. Bewick. 2 vols. (1: History and Description of Land Birds. 2: Containing the History and Description of Water Birds).

Newcastle, Printed by Sol. Hodgson, for Beilby & Bewick, 1797-1804.

Clean and well-preserved copy bound in an attractive contemporary full marbled calf binding. Early, rebacked with richly gilt spines and colored labels. Second issue. Large Imperial edition, printed in 207 copies. With 448 textual wood engravings. XXX, 336; XX, 400 pp.

Thomas Bewick (1753–1828) is best known for his 'History of British Birds', celebrated today primarily for its wood engravings, particularly the small, finely detailed, and often humorous vignettes known as tailpieces. He played a crucial role in advancing illustration printing by adapting metal-engraving tools to cut hard boxwood across the grain. This technique produced durable printing blocks that could be integrated with metal type, allowing for high-quality illustrations at a lower cost.

Order-nr.: 62098