The Naturalist's Library. The complete Ornithological component in 14 vols.

This is a rare or used book from the Berkelouw Rare Books Department.

bound in later full modern cloth. Spines uniformly gilt. T.e.g. other pages uncut and partly unopened. London: Henry G. Bohn and Edinburgh: W.H. Lizars, (ca. 1850's). Sm. 8vo. With all additional engraved title-pages, vignettes, portraits, and a wealth of magnificent hand-coloured plates. A neat small rubber stamp of "Woodstock College" on title-page of each vol., otherwise fine. Collation: Vols. 1-4: Birds of Great Britain and Ireland; Vol. 5: The Natural History of Pigeons; Vols. 6-7: Humming Birds; Vol. 8: Game Birds; Vol. 9: A General History of Humming-Birds; Vol. 10: Parrots; Vols. 11-12: Bird of Western Africa; Vol. 13: Flycatchers; Vol. 14: The Natural History of the Nectariniade, or Sun-Birds. NOTE: Each volume includes a portrait and memoir of a prominent naturalist. As noted by Wood, Jardine's Library 'is well described as a remarkable little library of early nineteenth-century zoology, as well as a brief account of the lives of the chief zoologists of all time, from Aristotle to Azara" (Wood 1931, P. 405). The Naturalist's Library was an enormous success upon publication. William Jardine (1800-1874) was a Scottish naturalist who studied in Edinburgh and Paris. He travelled extensively and corresponded with fellow naturalists world-wide, thereby accumulating specimens for description in his works and for inclusions in his remarkable private collection, which included some 6000 bird species (Oxford DNB 2004). Jardine's brother-in-law was the engraver William Home Lizars (1788-1859), who was responsible for the superb engravings.