Vero Shaw/G. Stables - The Illustrated Book of the Dog. With an Appendix on Canine Medicine and Surgery - 1881

A delightful antiquarian Victorian book with beautiful full colour plates of dog breeds. Highly collectible.
"The Illustrated Book of the Dog by Vero Shaw BA Cantab assisted by the leading breeders of the day with an appendix on Canine Medicine and Surgery by W Gordon Stables CM MD RN". Published by Cassell and Company Limited , London, Paris, New York & Melbourne. (No date, but 1881 1st edition)
Contemporary green half calf, spine gilt in compartments with red morocco lettering-piece. 28.5 x 24 cm sized book in original half leather and patterned paper binding over boards, raised bands to the spine and labels present.Boards reattached so a bit fragile on opening, lacking ffe..Wear to leather spine but still solid and attractive.
Contains all text and all 27 plates and fontispiece.Frontis has a tiny corner missing-see photo. A couple of plates with wear on margins and reduced in size a bit but images very good, all other plates are are in excellent undamaged clean condition.
Frontispiece + 664 pages + 27 other colour lithographic plates of Dog breeds plus numerous other black and white illustrations throughout.
Full-page colour plates primarily designed by artist Charles Bourgeois Barber. It was the fourth book ever printed in English to feature colour canine plate.
Because, the author, Shaw was writing right as breed standards were being codified, the book features several breeds that have completely evolved or entirely disappeared. For example, it provides detailed records of the English White Terrier (now extinct) and the early structural versions of Bulldogs, Basset Hounds, and Airedales before modern breeding radically altered their shapes.
Inside light stains but overall clean!!!!
Very scarce!!!Complete!!!
Heavy book!!!