EDWARDS (George). A Natural History of Various Birds. London, printed for the author, 1745-1751. 4 parts in 2 volumes in-4, red morocco, broad lacework with bird and gilt small irons, ornate spine, olive title-pieces and tomaison, fillets on the edges, inner lace, gilt edges, modern folders and slipcases (Binding of the period). First French edition of one of the most beautiful bird books of the eighteenth century, with a translation of the text by David Durand. A Natural History of uncommon Birds by George Edwards was first published with the English text in 1743-1751. The plates, etched from the author's drawings, are the same in both editions. In 1751, a general title was added to the work: Histoire naturelle d'oiseaux peu communs et d'autres animaux rares et qui n'ont pas été décrits, consisting of quadrupeds, reptiles, fish, insects, etc. Splendidly illustrated with a frontispiece and 210 plates superbly watercoloured at the time of publication, mostly representing rare species of birds (190 plates) and other classes of animals (20 plates). The Addition at the end of the second part also contains an out-of-text portrait of a Samoyed in black. George Edwards (1694-1773), an English naturalist and astronomer, was librarian of the Royal College of Physicians in London. He built up a very rich collection of naturalised specimens during his travels on the continent and spent several years working on this natural history of rare birds, which remains "one of the most important bird books ever published, from the point of view of both art and ornithology", according to Sitwell. A magnificent copy in brilliant colours, superbly bound in red morocco with large lace by a Parisian master of the period. From the Parisian library of the Dukes of Luynes, in the Hôtel de Chevreuse, with engraved bookplate and stamp D.L./P. at the bottom of the titles. The bookplate is that of Louis-Charles d'Albert de Luynes (1748-1807), sixth Duke of Luynes, who was Colonel-General of the Dragoons and deputy for Touraine, who rallied to the Third Estate, during the Estates-General of 1789. The copy then passed into the library of Thérèse de La Rochefoucauld (1888-1958), wife of Prince and Duke Ernest d'Arenberg (1886-1915), who was an eminent ornithologist, with his bookplate; then, by inheritance, into that of the Marquis Armand de Vasselot de Régné (1919-2003), his nephew by marriage, with his bookplate. Fine tear formerly repaired on plates 65 and 66, without missing; plates 103 and 104 inverted; small marginal repair on p. cxcv; some pages very slightly foxed. Some insignificant rubbing to the bindings, which are nevertheless very fresh. Anker, n°125 - Ayer/Zimmer, I, 196 - Nissen, IVB, n°287 - Sitwell, FBB, p. 93 - Brunet, II, 946.