The Bashford Dean memorial volume. Archaic fishes. Article I-VIII. [Complete].

New York, NY, The American Museum of Natural History, 1930-1942. Eight papers in eight. Large 4to (31.1 x 24.0 cm). 770 pp., 361 text figures, portrait of Bashford Dean, 47plates (seven in full colour). Uniform original printed wrappers. = An important series of contributions, by Bartram G. Smith, J. Leroy Conel, and the editor, on fossil, and Recent "primitive" fishes (e.g. sharks), published by the American Museum of Natural History. The first well-illustrated article is about Bashford Dean (1867-1928) himself, who was quite a colourful character. One of his major claims to fame is, of course, his Bibliography of the fishes which was published in three volumes between 1916 and 1923, and still remains the major ichthyological reference work. Another is his work on effective body armour for soldiers fighting in trenches, and pilots of war planes. One issue has plain paper wrappers only, one has printed wrappers only; the others have a double suite of blind and printed wrappers. Copies in original wrappers seem to be rarer than those bound and thus with less-wide margins. A very good, clean set. not in Nissen ZBI.