New Illustrations Of Zoology, Containing Fifty Coloured Plates Of New, Curious, And Non-Descript Birds, With A Few Quadrupeds, Reptiles And Insects. Together With A Short And Scientific Description Of The Same. By Peter Brown.

Peter Brown

RA Collection: Book

Record number

03/2851

Author

Peter Brown

Variant Title

Nouvelles Illustrations De Zoologie

Imprint

London:: Printed for B. White, at Horace's Head, Fleet-Street,, M. DCC. LXXVI.

Physical Description

[8], 136 p., 50 pl.; 290 mm. (Quarto).

[T.p.] - Preface - [Dedic.] - [Text and pl.] - List of the Plates.

Responsibility Note

Most plates are signed 'P. Brown' or 'Peter Brown'. In his Preface Brown acknowledges the assistance he has received from several persons. The animals described are from the collections of Marmaduke Tunstall, Mr Lee, Mr Yeats and Mr Moon and others, or from those of the British Museum or the Royal Society. Several plates are copied from drawings communicated by Gideon Loten, finished under his inspection in Java and Ceylon. Assistance was received from Thomas Pennant and John Reinhold Forster. For the descriptions of all the insects he is indebted to Mr Yeats.

The work is dedicated by Brown to the President, Council and Members of the Royal Academy of Painting, Sculpture, &c. in London.

References

Two surveys of animal illustration are: P.S. Dance, The art of natural history: animal illustrators and their works (1978); C. Nissen, Die zoologische Buchillustration, 2 v. (1966-1978). On the study of natural history in Britain see D.E. Allen, The naturalist in Britain: a social history (1976).
ESTC, T143948

Summary Note

Fifteen of the plates present carry dates - between January and May 1775.

The text is in French and English - French preceding English, except in the case of the title-pages. The French title is, 'Nouvelles Illustrations De Zoologie, Contenant Cinquante Planches Curieux ... Et Quelques De Quadrupedes ...'.

There are 42 coloured plates of birds, and eight of other animals and insects.

Reproductions

A copy of this publication has been digitised by the Göttinger DigitalisierungsZentrum (GDZ) at the Göttingen State and University Library and made available online here: New Illustrations Of Zoology, by Peter Brown (1756).

An electronic reproduction was published in 2003 (Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale). Microfilm versions were published in 1986 (London: British Library) (Woodbridge CT: Research Publications).

Provenance

Presented by the author; acknowledged 4 October 1776 (RAA Council Minutes I, 223).

Copy Note

Imperfect; plates XI and XV have been excised.

Binding Note

18th-century calf, upper and lower covers with gilt-decorated borders, green spine-label lettered 'Brown's Zoology Of Birds'. Dedicatee's copy in (probably) the original presentation binding.