Jordan, D. S.
Fishes. [AND an autographed letter by the author].
New York, NY, D. Appleton, 1925. 4to (25.5 x 18.1 cm). xv, 773 pp.; Chromolithographed frontispiece with printed tissue-guard, and 17 other full colour plates after original watercolours, and 763 fine text figures. Original blind-stamped and gilt-lettered cloth. Top edge gilt.
An uncommon, finely produced work by the leading American ichthyologist (and peace activist) during the last quarter of the 19th and first half of the 20th century, David Starr Jordan (1851-1931). Profusely illustrated. This the revised edition, in which "the writer has tried to compress all that an educated man is likely to know, or care to know, about fishes...it will answer all questions likely to be asked by anglers" (from the author's preface to this edition). Bookplate of the Monica library on the front free endpaper recto, together with the written inscription "Henry Lamond/19th Nov. 1925", [AND] with an ALS, single leaf, double sided, to the Scottish ichthyologist Henry Lamond (1869-1934), dated Aug. 21 1925. Among naturalists, Lamond is best remembered as the writer of The Sea-Trout: a Study in Natural History (1916). A loosely inserted newspaper clipping from 1927 show Lamond, meeting Queen Mary of Teck. Contemporary review (newspaper clipping) on the front paste-down, inner hinges a bit weak (the bookblock is quite heavy), otherwise a very good, clean copy with an interesting provenance. Not in Nissen.