1910. (plus) Check List and Bibliography ... (plus) The Birds of Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands and the Australian South Polar Quadrant ... (plus) A Supplement to the Birds of Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands to which is Added those Birds of New Zealand not figured by Buller. 15 vols. (complete and all published) uniformly bound in 19. Lond: Witherby, 1910-1936. Royal Quarto. Contemp. full blue cloth with spine bands and gilt titles. The orig. printed wrappers bound-in. Edges uncut. Illustrated with 702 full-page plates of which 678 are beautifully hand-coloured lithographs after originals by Gronvold, Keulemans, Green, a.o., and text drawings. A magnificent and totally complete set in truly fine condition, including the very scarce 1936 supplement which is usually lacking its full complement of 57 plates. Each volume carries the bookplate of Dr. Rudolph Meyer de Schauensee, the distinguished ornithologist at The Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, together with an A.L.S. from Mathews to Schauensee dated April 5th 1937 regarding "The Birds of Australia". This letter is preserved in its original handwritten envelope. NOTE: It is difficult to determine the number of complete sets produced, but it is now generally accepted that the maximum number was 225 copies. However, given the scarcity of the final 1936 supplement and the knowledge that Mathews at the time was financially struggling, it is conceivable that fewer than 225 sets were produced. It is the last of the great colour-plate books and next to Gould's "Birds of Australia", one of the most lavishly produced of all Australian books. Casey A. Wood, pp.454 states: "The most comprehensive systematic treatise on Australian birds. Every detail of a well-ordered, scientific monograph is given, accompanied by a Check List and followed by a Bibliography and Biography of Authors". (Anker 328. Nissen IVB 605. Zimmer pp.419).