1903 edition of Familiar Wild Birds .

About this piece

Cloth-bound Familiar Wild Birds by W. Swaysland, with coloured plates and wood-engraved illustrations, bare size about 19 x 13 cm, weight about 650 g.

A charming cloth-bound copy of Familiar Wild Birds by W. Swaysland, published by Cassell and Company and carrying a gilt-stamped foliate design to the front and spine. The front cover has a few age related marks to the left hand side, but not very noticable. The book contains a number of hand-coloured plates of birds and eggs together with black-and-white wood-engraved illustrations, and measures about 19 x 13 cm. It appears to date from the turn of the century, probably late Victorian or Edwardian. The plates remain bright and attractive and the gilt decoration still shows well. There is modest rubbing to the spine ends and corners and a few spots to the title page, while the boards retain their original colour and charm. The binding feels sound and the book opens flat enough to display the plates. Handy and decorative on a study shelf or in a collection of natural history books, it will suit anyone who enjoys illustrated ornithology or cloth-bound period books.