Gould's set of folios

I bequeath to my daughter Eliza Muskett ... the complete set or copy of my ornithological works which I use as my own private Library copy ... but my wish is that they shall all be kept in the family in the nature of heirlooms. Gould, John, 'Gould will', Somerset House, London, 1878

Gould Folios in Custom-Made Cabinet
R. Bowdler Sharpe, An Analytical Index to the Works of the Late John Gould. London: Henry Southeran, 1893
Australia Museum Research Library

At the height of 'Gould fever' in the late 1980s, Gould's complete personal set was offered for sale in England, but no buyer could be found for the £350,000 price tag. Each title was then auctioned separately, raising little more than the original asking price.

John Gould's copy of The Birds of Australia, one of only 250 sets published, along with his Mammals of Australia, A Monograph of the Macropodidae and Birds of New Guinea were sold to an Australian bidder in 1987. Their owner subsequently broke up the volumes and auctioned 1213 plates individually.