John Goulds Birds of Great Britain
John Gould was the leading publisher of
ornithological illustrations in Victorian Britain.His Birds of
Great Britain,367 plates issued in five volumes between 1862 and
1873,was the most comprehensive record of native birds at that
date,and an artistic and scientific achievement which today ranks
with the greatest works of Bewick or Audubon.
mapThe 'bird man',as he liked to be called,had been 'enamoured with nature,and her charming attitudes' at an early age.This romantic enthusiasm combined with scientific and artistic skills and a forceful entrepreneurial personality,led him to produce a total of almost 3,000 hand-coloured lithographs which are eagerly sought by modern collectors.Gould collected the scientific information and drew many of the rough sketches himself.These were then passed on for completion to skilled illustrators - at first his wife Elizabeth,and Edward Lear;and later such artists as Henry Richter,William Hart,andJoseph Wolf.The plates which resulted were a splendid fusion of art and science whose range and subtlety are still unsurpassed.The size of Gould's original volumes and the relatively small numbers in which they were produced,have meant that his work has hitherto been appreciated mainly by professional ornithologists and bibliophiles.Now,almost 100 years after his death,this edition of the complete Birds of Great Britain enables a wider public to see his greatest achievement....(inside fron cover) Sample plate here
Hardback;237pp.Condition fine in d/w.1986 Bloomsbury books London.Price £42.00 Post free UK To order this or any other title,please or telephone +44 (outside UK) (0) 1665 713954
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