A monograph of the Alcedinidæ: or, family of kingfishers

London: Published by the author, 1871. FIRST EDITION. With 120 hand-colored lithographs and taxonomical chart. Hand-colored map of the family Alcedinidae laid in. Dark red morocco with elaborate gilt decoration, interior dentelles, gilded fore-edge; interior generally in good condition with some foxing throughout. Rare first edition of monograph on kingfishers, a family of small, brightly colored birds known for their long sharp bills. This was Sharpe’s first book and launched his career as one of the most prominent ornithologists of the time. Significantly, it also marked the first collaboration between Sharpe and the artist John Gerrard Keulemans (1842–1912), who made the drawings and transferred them to stone. Keulemans made drawings for Sharpe’s later books as well as instructing several of his daughters in the art. Sharpe provides detailed descriptions of each species and the beautifully colored plates portray all the species of kingfishers in their various natural habitats. The book is one of many important ornithological monographs of the nineteenth century with its refined lithograph plates magnifying its significance as a scientific as well as aesthetic resource.

Sharpe (1847–1909) was a British ornithologist and curator at the British Museum. His interest in birds started as a recreation and developed into a lifelong passion and pursuit. During his time at the British Museum, the collection of bird specimens increased from 35,000 to over half a million thereby making the museum one of the leading institutions in the field of ornithology. Sharpe was also responsible for completing many of fellow ornithologist John Gould’s unfinished books when he died in 1881.