Sowerby (James). The Mineral Conchology of Great Britain, complete set, 7 in 6 vols, 1812-46

Sowerby (James). The Mineral Conchology of Great Britain; or Coloured Figures and Descriptions of those remains of Testaceous Animals or Shells, which have been preserved at various times and depths in the Earth, 7 volumes in 6, London: Printed for the author, 1812-46, 650 hand-coloured engraved plates (including 33bis and 184bis, several folding), engraved portrait frontispiece to volume 6, volume 7 without title (not called for in Nissen), bookplate of Edward Francis Witts to front pastedowns, a few trimmed to outer margin (plates 645 and 646 touching image), occasional light spotting, a few plates offset, mid 19th-century half calf, gilt-decorated spines with contrasting black and maroon morocco spine labels, extremities lightly rubbed and scuffed, 8vo, together with a copy of George Brettingham Sowerby's A Conchological Manual (1852), original publisher's cloth, 8vo (Quantity: 7) Nissen ZBI 3917; Ward & Carozzi 2093. 'Still considered the supreme work of British topographical mineralogy' (Conklin, James Sowerby, His Publications and Collections, 1995). Fine complete set. Exceedingly scarce with the unfinished seventh volume which expanded the number of plates from 611 to 650. We can only trace two other complete examples appearing at auction, most recently at Lyon & Turnbull, Edinburgh, 19 February 2020, lot 336.