A History of the Earth and Animated Nature. Vol. II

Description:

The engraved frontispiece is of Baron Cuvier. The plates in this volume includes birds, reptiles, fish and invertebrates.

Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) was a novelist, playwright, poet, and man of letters, best known today for such works as the novel 'The Vicar of Wakefield' (1766), and the play 'She Stoops to Conquer' (first performed in 1773). Inspired by Buffon’s monumental 'Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière', Goldsmith complied his own major work, acknowledging that he was drawing on a number of secondary sources including Pliny, Buffon, Willughby, De Geer etc. The work also includes Goldsmith’s musings and entertaining anecdotes which greatly helped to make the work a publishing success, running to many editions. Written in fine literary prose, the modern reader is provided with a fascinating insight to late 18th century perspectives of the natural world, the excitement of recent discoveries in Australia and the Americas and the place that the human race had in the world.

Condition

Vol. 2 (of 2), roy. 8vo, cont. half calf, rubbed, some wear to corners, raised bands, gilt rules and leather title-pieces to spine; marbled edges and endpapers. Some spotting and occasional light soiling to margins; a few edge tears and marginal chips to 3 of the plain plates; repaired tear to one colour plate and a short marginal tear to another (not affecting the images).