Zoology - Herpetology Baird, Spencer Fullerton United States Exploring Expedition. During the years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841 1842 under the command of Charles Wilkes, U.S.N. Vol. XX, Herpetology (with a folio atlas). With 23 mostly coloured or partly coloured engraved plates. Philadelphia, Sherman & Son, 1858. (1855 Ophidia, 1856 &1857 Sauria and 1857 Chelonia) plates, 10 p. (title and list of plates), XV, 492 p., 2 vols. (text and atlas). 4° (text) and imperial folio OLdr. with gilt-stamped coat of arms supralibro (American Eagle) and floral blind embossing, gilt inner edges and gilt edges on all sides or OHldr. over five bands, with gilt-stamped spine title. (Atlas). No copy since 1974 at international auctions, last Sothebys 30.10.1973, (3563-070). No copy traceable for us in worldwide trade. Provenance: Gift of the U.S. Congress to the State of Kansas, (dedication label on the front inside cover), Kansas State Library (bookplate) George & Laura Gifford, (bookplate) Prof. Craig Adler, (bookplate) last in the library of Prof. Dr Manfred Niekisch. Adler, Vol. 1 40,-42, - Nissen, ZBI 1578 and 4412 20 - BMNH p. 679 - Wood p. 606 - Vanzolini Vol. I p.81-82 - Haskell 99-102 No. 76 & 78 - Cat. Crane Library AC 32 - Extremely rare copy of the only official edition, which never went on sale, but was given away by the U.S. Congress to institutions of the various states. "No complete set has ever appeared in catalogues or at auctions during my 60 years of book collecting" Adler. The United States Exploring Expedition, or Wilkes Expedition, was the first US expedition to the Pacific and served as the most significant exploration and mapping voyage. It was conducted by the United States Navy from 1838 to 1842 under the command of Admiral and scientist Charles Wilkes (1798-1877). He assembled around 350 expedition members from a wide range of sciences and professions on seven ships. Baird (1823-1887) was the first curator at the Smithonian Institution and an important American naturalist and zoologist. He played a crucial role in analysing the collected species. The volume is divided into several main sections dealing with different taxonomic groups of herpetofauna, including snakes, lizards, turtles and amphibians. Baird not only describes the species, but also provides information on their habitats, geographical distributions and remarkable behaviours. Particularly noteworthy is Baird's scientific and systematic approach, which contributed to the definition and naming of many species that were previously unknown or insufficiently documented. The official edition (the first edition of the report) was limited to 100 copies. Of these, 56 copies were distributed to foreign countries, with the remaining copies going to state and federal government libraries. Many of the remaining copies were destroyed in a fire at the Library of Congress in 1851. Daniel C. Haskell noted in a bibliography that only 10 copies of several volumes still existed at the time and that very few volumes were in private hands. - Of the 32 plates initially planned (see also the list of plates in the atlas), only 23 appeared in the official edition for cost reasons, and a second commercial edition was later published by Lippingcott & Co. published a second commercial edition containing all 32 plates. This edition is not nearly as rare as the first, but it is still a rare work. The atlas is the physically largest work in the herpetological literature in its enormous dimensions, documenting not only the diversity of the herpetofauna of North America, but also indicating the advances in scientific methodology and illustration. The artistically impressive and scientifically accurate plates were engraved by Dougal from drawings by Winship Weise Shoemaker and Richard. Baird's work laid the foundation for many later studies and classifications in herpetology and remains an important reference work in zoology to this day. Zoology. - Herpretology. - With 23 mostly coloured or partly coloured engraved plates. 2 vols. (text and atlas). 4° (text) and imperial folio OCalf with gilt-stamped heraldic supralibro (American Eagle) and floral blind embossing, gilt inner edges and gilt edges on all sides or OHcalf over five bands, with gilt-stamped spine title. (Atlas). No copy since 1974 at international auctions, last Sothebys 30.10.1973, (3563-070). No specimen traceable for us in worldwide trade. - Provenance: Gift of the U.S. Congress to the State of Kansas (dedication label on the inside front cover), Kansas State Library (bookplate), George & Laura Gifford (bookplate), Prof. Craig Adler (bookplate), most recently in the library of Prof. Dr. Manfred Niekisch. Extremely rare copy of the first official edition only, which never went on sale, but was given as a gift by the U.S. Congress to institutions in the various states. "No complete set has ever appeared in catalogues or at auctions during my 60 years of book collecting" Adler. The United States Exploring Expedition, or Wilkes Expedition, was the first U.S. expedition to the Pacific Ocean for exploration and mapping. It was carried out by the United States Navy from 1838 to 1842 under the command of Admiral and scientist Charles Wilkes. He assembled around 350 expedition members from a wide range of sciences and professions on seven ships. Baird (1823-1887), was the first curator at the Smithonian Institution and an important American naturalist and zoologist. He played a crucial role in analysing the species collected. The volume is divided into several main sections dealing with different taxonomic groups of herpetofauna, including snakes, lizards, turtles and amphibians. Baird not only describes the species, but also provides information on their habitats, geographical distributions and notable behaviours. Particularly noteworthy is Baird's scientific and systematic approach, which contributed to the definition and naming of many species that were previously unknown or insufficiently documented. The official edition (the first edition of the report) was limited to 100 copies. Of these, 56 copies were distributed to foreign countries, with the remaining copies going to U.S. state and federal government libraries. A fire at the Library of Congress in 1851 destroyed many of the remaining copies. Daniel C. Haskell noted in a bibliography report that only 10 copies of several volumes still existed at the time and that very few volumes were in private hands. - Of the 32 plates initially planned (see also the list of plates in the atlas), only 23 were published in the official edition for cost reasons. published a second, commercial edition which contained all 32 plates. This edition is not nearly as rare as the first, but is still a rare work. The Atlas is physically the largest work in the herpetological literature in its enormous size, documenting not only the diversity of the herpetofauna of North America, but also indicating the advances in scientific methodology and illustration. Baird's work laid the foundation for many later studies and classifications in herpetology and remains a major reference work in zoology to this day. This lot is taxed. The hammer price is subject to a 24.95% buyer's premium and the final invoice amount to 7% (books, art) or 19% VAT (manuscripts, screen prints, offset prints, photographs) in the European Union. This work is subject to the regular margin scheme. There is a 24.95% buyer's premium on the hammer price and 7% (Books and Art) or 19% VAT (Manuscripts, Screenprints, Offsetprints and Photographs) on the final invoice amount in the European Union.