Fifth edition. Revised and brought up to date, with an appendix of recently added species and with four hundred plates specially corrected for this edition, and all coloured by hand. By the Rev….B.A. Rector of Nunburnholme, Yorkshire. Honorary member of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society. In Six Volumes. Volume the First (to Volume the Sixth). “Gloria in excelsis Deo”. John C. Nimmo, L.td. London. MDCCCCIII (1903)

6 Volumes de 27x20cm. Com xx-318, vi-288, vi-281, vi-258, vi-232 e vi -252 págs.

Encadernações do editor em pele, com representações de pássaros gravadas a ouro nas pastas e nas lombadas.

Obra ilustrada com 400 gravuras coloridas à mão em folhas extratexto, representando as espécies de aves descritas no texto.

Esta edição tem prefácio do autor e inclui os prefácios escritos para as três primeiras edições da obra. Sobre cada uma das aves são transcritos poemas ou extractos dos mais célebres poetas ingleses. São referidas muitas aves que também existem em Portugal, na Madeira, Açores e Cabo Verde.

A ideia desta obra, pioneira na descrição de aves, foi do impressor Benjamin Fawcett que convidou Morris para a escrever. O encarregado de delinear as gravuras foi Alexander Francis Lydon que teve o apoio de uma equipa de artistas femininas para colorir cada uma à mão. Morris tornou-se um dos precursores da luta pela preservação das espécies e participou na fundação da Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

 6 volumes; 27x20cm; with xx-318, vi-288, vi-281, vi-258, vi-232 e vi -252 pp.

Binding: Editor’s full calf, with gilt tools on spine and boards depicting birds.

Work illustrated with 400 hand coloured prints hors-text, depicting the species of the birds described in the text.

This edition has a foreword from the author and includes the forewords written for each of the first three editions. For each bird there are transcribed related poems or parts of poems from the most famous English poets. Many of the birds mentioned also exist in Portugal, Madeira, Azores, and Cape Verde.

The idea of creating this work, pioneer in bird description, was from the printer, Benjamin Fawcett, who invited Morris to write it. The author of the prints’ drawings was Alexander Francis Lydon, who had the support of a team of female artists to hand colour each drawing. Morris became one of the precursors of the fight for the preservation of species and one of the founders of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds