1959 Pirates and Predators: The Piratical and Predatory Habits of Birds
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Description
Colour Plates, First Edition, Illustrated, Publishers' Original Binding, With Dustwrapper
The first edition, first impression of this illustrated ornithological work from British soldier and intelligence officer Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen. An excellent copy, in the publisher's original dust wrapper, price clipped.
Illustrated with eighteen colour plates from artists including Guy Edward Lodge and John Everett Millais, along with a number of photographic plates and vignette illustrations. Collated, complete.
Within the work Meinertzhagen presents his observations on the habits of avian predators, including hawks, herons and cormorants, along with discussions of the manner of hunting and killing employed by various species, competition over territory, and the bird-snake relationship.
While early biographies lionized Meinertzhagen as a master of military strategy and espionage, later investigations present him as a fraud who fabricated stories of his feats, and speculated he murdered his wife. Furthermore, the discovery of stolen museum bird specimens resubmitted as original discoveries raised doubts as to the veracity of his ornithological records.
A detailed and thrilling first edition ornithological study from a prominent British intelligence officer accused of fraud, theft, and murder.
Condition
In the publisher's original cloth binding, with price clipped dust wrapper. Externally, excellent. Bumping to back strip tail. Light spotting to fore edge of text block. Bookseller's label to front pastedown. Dust wrapper exceptionally bright. Light marks to rear wrap. Spotting to reverse of front and rear fly leaves. Internally, firmly bound. Light spotting to title page and half title, with pages otherwise bright and clean, with the odd light spot.
Very Good Indeed
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