Uncircumcised specimen with all envelopes Borckhausen, Moritz Balthasar, et al. (eds.). Teutsche Ornithology or natural history of all birds Teutschland in true-to-life illustrations and descriptions. Volumes I-XXI (of 22) in 2 volumes. With 126 large coloured copper plates. 48 x 35 cm. Modern calfskin (kaum rubbed) with all delivery envelopes printed on blue sheets. Darmstadt, Johann Christoph Ferdinand Mefarth, 1800-1811. Nissen, IVB, 907. Anchor 52. – First edition of one of the most beautiful German bird books. Johann Conrad Susemihl (1767-1846) together with his brother Johann Theodor and later with his children Eduard and Emilie in Darmstadt created this opulent work with the help of a circle of enthusiastic nature lovers. From Merck to Darmstadt, Susemihl first studied in Weimar and Dresden and "began after his return in 1795, almost at the same time as Johann Friedrich Naumann, with the work on the work, which with its excellent copper engravings was to form a counterpart to the Planches enluminées des Levaillant. "The ornithological material provided naturalists and hunters from Darmstadt who were surrounded by the well-known forest botanist and entomologist Moritz Balthasar Borckhausen (1760-1806). But Susemihl himself was a zealous hunter who did not only know his objects stuffed. Of this, the plates, which in engraving like colorite belong to the peak performances of the late copper engraving, give eloquent testimony ... Some plates were also printed in colour, but rarely in more than two colours" (Nissen p. 53 ). The editors had planned the delivery of 4 booklets annually, but the company was stalled during the Napoleonic Wars, and the parts appeared at ever-increasing intervals. ==References== Part 1811 was published, the edition seemed to be discontinued, but it appeared with a large distance, six years later, in the Jarhe 1817 still a last issue, which is missing here, as in almost all other copies. Nor is there any the very rare and also later published title page and the subscriben directory. However, the original envelopes included in the present copy are of great importance, on which there is often information about the progress of the publication, change of publisher, etc. besides the listing of the plates received in the corresponding delivery. In issue XIV, in addition to the German text pages, there are also three sheets with French text, an attempt by the editors to further disseminate the work A few plates are slightly patchy, but overall very nice specimen in remarkably fine color, the representation almost continuously very fresh and clean. Texts and plates of the present copy are broad and uncircumcised (Article XXI slightly smaller in format), the five plates published in Volume XIII as an addendum without text are bound to the places intended for them in Volumes II, III and IV.