Bloomsbury’s 293 lot sale on 22nd October of A Private Ornithological and Sporting Library has a plethora of magnificent colour plate books, drawings and watercolours which will undoubtedly be any ornithologist’s dream.
The privately published, handsome set of A History of the Birds of Europe by Henry Eeles Dresser of 1871-81 is a monumental work and carries an estimate of £7500-10000 (lot 21), while the 1949 Substantial and Important Collection of Sketches of the Birds of Ceylon with a few from Rhodesia by the wildlife artist George Morison Henry Reid, is expected to fetch £4000-6000 (lot 54). The sale also has a large group of 17 lots of charming, detailed pencil sketches and watercolours by Philip Rickman with estimates ranging from £100-800 (lo ts 56-72). This group also boasts A Selection of Bird Paintings and Sketches, number 3 of 26 specially bound copies signed by the artist with an original signed watercolour (lot 65) estimated £3000-5000.
The Big Game and Travel section includes books from the library of Sir Henry Morton Stanley. Lot 125 is a fine second edition association copy of John Hanning Speke’s Journal of the Discovery of the Source of the Nile with, loosely inserted, a handwritten list by him of African mileages (estimate £750-1000). A most unusual and important highlight of the sale is the folding camp stool of Stanley and Speke (lot 126) who had given it to Mutesa, King of Buganda in about 1862 and who in turn, donated it to Stanley some 15 years later! This extraordinary item has an estimate of £1500-2000.
Amongst the books on Field Sports, is lot 214 the manuscript version with slight textual variations of Anglers Sure Guide: or Angling Improved and Methodically Digested by Robert Howlett written in circa 1706 (estimate £400-600). Lot 266 is A Collection of Pen-and-ink Sketches of Deer-Stalking in Scotland, North Harris by Lt Gen Henry Hope Crealock (1882-84), not only does it contain some lively and attractive sketches, but it is also regarded as ‘the best book on Scotch deer-stalking’ (estimate £800-1200).
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