Thomas Bewick, A General History of Quadrupeds. The Figures Engraved on Wood by Thomas Bewick. The Seventh Edition. (Newcastle Upon Tyne: Printed by Edw. Walker... 1820). Large 8vo [8 3/4" x 5 1/2") 528 pp. Bound in early, probably original London full butterscotch polished calf, with later reback to full period style. Five raised bands, spine compartments ornately gilt, contrasting spine title gilt. Boards ruled and heavy gilt. Board edges adn inner dentiels gilt. Heavy stock rag paper. Original marbled endpapers. Illustrated with numerous wood engraved Woodcuts, vignettes on the titles and woodcuts throughout the text vignettes by Thomas Bewick and John Bewick.
This is Bewick's landmark "Quadrupeds" in its final format issued 8 years before his death. The illustrations on nearly every page of text are charming and masterfully struck.
Bewick in addition to accurate natural history provides much information on popular opinion of the day about domestic quadrupeds including horses (14 pages) and dogs (21 pages).
Thomas Bewick (1753-1828) is considered the renewer of the art of xylography (wood engraving) in England, a uniquely gifted artist as well as naturalist. He started working on his famous ?History of quadrupeds? in 1785, it was first published in 1790, and later again in 1792. The text was written
by Ralph Beilby (1743-1818), Bewick's teacher. Nissen, ZBI, 351 Roscoe comments that the second edition of Quadrupeds, " was no mere reprint: it was a largely revised, expanded and improved work. Impressions of the cuts are far more satisfatory, there are drastic revisions and many additions in the text, many blocks have been reworked, twelve new figures are addded, and the fourteen descriptions of bats make their frist appearance." In this 1820 a few further additions and corrections are provided.
"Chief among his innovations was a new conception of the black and white picture. He did not think of it as a white space on which black outlines and solids made a linear design...Instead he began with a black void out of which the subject appears in a varying range of grey tones with pure white for the lightest part." JAMES, ENGLISH BOOK ILLUST. 1800 - 1900.
"Thomas Bewick is the best known British illustrator of natural history subjects. From early childhood he combined a fascination for drawing with his own detailed observations of the natural world. Bewick claimed that his desire to produce works of natural history originated in the 1780s with dissatisfaction over the books to which he had access as a young boy. He set out to reform not only the style of natural illustration but also the methods of print production. His technical innovations included the rediscovery of various aspects of wood block engraving. His carved images produced a wide range of textures and visual effects, primarily because he cut parallel lines in his blocks as opposed to the more usual cross-hatching. He also relied on the technique of white-line printing, in which the ink is placed on the raised edge of the carved relief instead of in the grooves between the edges. He achieved new effects in dimensional depth and atmospherics by lowing the background areas of his print block images, thus producing shades of gray around the central objects being depicted.
Bewick 's wood engraving were notable for their accuracy, delicate attention to detail, and lifelike poses. An avid naturalist himself, Bewick based many of his designs for British creatures and scenes (to which he did have access) on personal observations of birds and animals in their natural settings, or from specimens and skins sent to him by other naturalists." BEWICK, EDMONTON ART GALLERY.
This copy is "large paper" or "large cut" with ample margins on all sides. Bound in full butterscotch London calf in RIVIERE "extra-gilt" style binding (the binding is however unsigned), with later leather restoration at spine in full period style. Hinges and headcaps unbroken. Hand sewn, probably original headbands prese...
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