Report on the Birds of Pennsylvania: With Special Reference to the Food-Habits, Based on Over Three Thousand Stomach Examinations.
Harrisburg, PA: Edwin K. Meyers, State Printer, 1888. First Edition. Octavo (9.25 x 6 inches). Original dark green cloth, blind-ruled borders to boards, gilt lettering to spine. Illustrated with fifty finely printed color lithographic plates depicting native species of Pennsylvania, including luminous studies of grebes, owls, and finches. Collation complete. Condition: fair to good. The spine is loose though attached; one leaf in the introduction section detached but present. Boards show moderate rubbing and fraying to corners and spine ends. Despite these faults, the text remains generally clean, and the plates are remarkably fresh and vivid—displaying the enduring charm of nineteenth-century chromolithography.
This 1888 Report on the Birds of Pennsylvania was the first comprehensive ornithological study commissioned by any American state—a landmark in the union of scientific observation and civic purpose. B. H. Warren, a pioneering field naturalist, based his work on over three thousand stomach examinations, producing an unprecedented dataset on the feeding habits of regional birdlife. His text and plates together illuminate the intersection of agriculture, ecology, and early conservation thought in the late Victorian era. The illustrations, rich in tone and accuracy, reflect the maturing of American natural history art just before the turn of the twentieth century.
Embossed in blind along the upper front board: “Clarence M. Busch, State Printer.” Busch served as Pennsylvania’s official State Printer at Harrisburg during the 1880s, and this imprint strongly suggests that this volume was part of his office’s retained or presentation copies—linking the book directly to the administrative origins of its publication. Fair. Item #391
Price: $225.00