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THOMAS BEWICK. 



may prefer articles of greater cost ; but to those who desire works of art for 

 their intrinsic as well as their relative value, for genuineness of feeling and 

 wide range of subject, few things could be chosen capable of affording a more 

 delightful pastime than the formation of a representative collection of the 

 copper-plate and wood engravings executed by Thomas and John Bewick. 



The " History of British Birds " is the work which, of all others, ought to 

 hold the first place in a collection of Thomas Bewick's works. Details of the 

 usually accepted eight editions are given at their proper places throughout 

 this volume; and there are also the 1798 and 1804 editions of the first 

 volume mentioned at page 191, both of which are in collectors' eyes quite 

 distinct from the 1797 and 1805 publications. The editions of 1797 and 1804, 

 on imperial octavo paper, are those most difficult to obtain, and are the most 

 valuable ; and if, on page 285 of the first volume, the vignette bears no 

 evidence of having been inked over, the collector may know he possesses one 

 of the great rarities of Bewick's works. The differences of the Sea Eagle and 

 the Magpie blocks, noted at page 184, ought also to be remembered. Any of 

 the first six editions — 1797-1804, 1805, 1809, 1816, 1821, or 1826 — are 

 worth looking for, as they were all superintended by Bewick himself while 

 passing through the press. The 1832 and 1847 editions, published after his 

 death, are not so perfect. The 1826 edition is the most complete. 



The " General History of Quadrupeds " (1790), also in eight editions, is 

 the next in importance to the Birds, but the first edition is by no means the 

 best, the second (1 791) contains many improvements, the third (1792) is again 

 better, while the fourth (1800) and the fifth (1807) contain all the best 

 additions, and are usually well printed. 



Proofs of the Birds and Quadrupeds, and of the Vignettes of both, were all 

 published separately, without letterpress. These are valued because, having 

 been more carefully printed, and with no type impressed on the other side, 

 they display the genius and dexterity of the engraver to the best advantage. 

 Sometimes, however, the impressions in the ordinary editions exceed in beauty 



