Smythies, Bertram E. ~ The Birds of Burma – Rare 1st ed.
Rangoon: American Baptist Mission Press, 1940,
£360
First Edition 1940 Rangoon 8vo 23 x 15 cm. A complete copy with 31 coloured plates by A.M. Hughes, captioned tissue-guards, map to rear. Ink gift inscription on the f.f.e.p. very minor bumping to corners and extremely light soiling to covers. A very close to Fine copy with no material flaws. Note: rare in the first edition. According to Smythies's introduction to the second edition, most copies of the first edition, already limited to 1000, were bought by Europeans in Burma and when the Japanese invaded in 1942, they left the books behind. Smythies goes on to say that the Japanese then collected the books up and shipped them off to the library of the Royal Veterinary College in Tokyo, which was subsequently bombed.
BINDING : Hardback
INVENTORY NUMBER: 109374
