| Prideaux John Selby Gallery |
| Illustrations of British Ornithology | |||
| Although Selby was interested in botany, and produced a 'History of British Trees' in 1842, he is best known for his 'Illustrations of British Ornithology', deemed 'the first attempt to produce a set of life-sized illustrations of British birds ... remarkable for the delicacy of their execution and their truthfulness to nature' (DNB XVII 1148-9). Issued in nineteen parts over thirteen years, the book consisted of 89 plates of land birds and 129 plates of water birds, engraved by William Lizars of Edinburgh. Lizars was the printer initially chosen to engrave the plates for Audubon's 'Birds of America', but lost the job after ten plates because his colorists went on strike. Of Selby's masterpiece, Jackson writes, 'the color plates were superbly executed and ... have an austere beauty unmatched in other bird books illustrated by line. Every feather is clearly visible ... Tone, shade, and texture were all exploited to the fullest extent and demonstrate the best of which copper etching and engraving were capable.' ('Bird Etchings', pg33&51) | |||
| Publication City: Edinburgh Medium: Hand-colored etchings Dimensions: Various folio Date: 1824-1834 | |||
| SELECTIONS FROM THIS WORK | |||
 Bean Goose details |  Bewicks Swan details |  Bimaculated Duck (Male) details |  Crossbills details |  Female Buzzard details |  Finches Sparrows details |  Golden Plover details |  Great Auk details |  Hooded Crow details |  Iceland Gull details |  Male Bustard details |  Male Eider Duck details |  Marsh Harrier details |  Missel Thrush Ringouzel details |  Platec details |  Sanderlings details |  Sky and Wood Larks details |  Squated Heron details |  Wagtails and Pipits details |  Wild Goose details |
