Issued between 1891 and 1898, this two-volume ornithological monograph describes the birds of paradise and the bower-birds of New Guinea and neighbouring islands. Sharpe, working from museum skins and from plates begun for John Gould, gives species accounts covering plumage, range, classification, and what was then known of display and nest-building. Male birds-of-paradise are treated in particular detail for their elongated plumes, iridescent gorgets, and courtship structures; bower-birds for the arenas they construct and decorate. The text is systematic natural history rather than a field guide: a late-Victorian attempt to name, figure, and order two families then still yielding new species to collectors.
Title Metadata
Subject/Genre
6 Subjects| No. | Volume Title | Page Count |
|---|---|---|
| Vol. 1 | Monograph of the Paradiseidæ, or Birds of Paradise, and Ptilonorhynchidæ, or Bower-Birds, by R. Bowdler Sharpe... the Plates | 172 pp |
| Vol. 2 | Birds of Paradise, Monograph of the Paradiseidae, or Birds of Paradise, and Ptilonorhynchidae, or Bower-Birds | 288 pp |
Quarter bound in green leather with printed and blocked cloth sides, gilded top edge. In dark green canvas slipcase blocked in gold with title. Commentary volume, by Richard Bowdler-Sharpe, dark green slipcase.
| Printing | Print Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Printing | 2011 | — |