Monography of the Family Unionidae. Or Naiades of Lamarck, (Fresh
Item #48678
CONRAD, T.A. Monography of the Family Unionidae. Or Naiades of Lamarck, (Fresh Water Bivalve Shells,) of North America. Illustrated by Figures Drawn on Stone from Nature. Philadelphia: J. Dobson, 1836. [2],iv,110 (of 118)pp. plus sixty (of sixty-five) colored plates. 19th century three-quarter morocco and cloth, spine gilt. Binding slightly edgeworn and darkened. Small ownership stamp on titlepage and an occasional very light fox mark, else internally very clean. Very good. BENNETT, p.26. McGRATH, pp.36 & 39. NISSEN (ZOOLOGY) 944. SABIN 15903. A mostly complete copy of this extremely rare and attractive color-plate book on fresh water bivalves. Timothy Abbott Conrad was an early and important American naturalist, whose reputation is now mostly lost to history. His work is an important complement to Thomas Say's AMERICAN CONCHOLOGY, and Conrad assisted Say's widow in completing the final part of that work, which was unfinished at the time of Thomas Say's death. The very lovely plates in this work, done after Conrad's own drawings, were lithographed by P.S. Duval, one of the leading illustrators of Philadelphia, and are quite handsomely drawn and shaded. Most every plate contains several colored illustrations of shells. Conrad's text gives the scientific details of the shells, as well as his personal observations and comparisons with Say's findings. This work was originally issued in thirteen parts between 1836 and 1840, but is most often found in single-volume form. Each part contained five plates. The present copy, then, contains twelve of the thirteen parts, lacking only the final five plates and accompanying text. "A book of both scientific and artistic merit" - Bennett. Extremely rare on the market, the first copy we have ever seen offered for sale.
Price: $7,500.00