Audubon in Edinburgh and his Scottish Associates

Description:

John James Audubon, the american ornithologist came to Britain in 1826 seeking an engraver capable of reproducing his life-sized paintings for The Birds of America. Before trying London, he visited Edinburgh, fell in love with it and found the collaborators he needed. During the period 1826-38 Audubon made several visits to Edinburgh, amounting to three years in all. His journals and letters provide a vivid description of his affairs and the individuals he met. He associated with people like Robert Jameson, professor of natural history at the University of Edinburgh, the author Walter Scott, the anatomist Robert Knox, the physicist David Brewster, the cleric Sydney Smith and the advocate Francis Jeffrey. He was introduced to William Home Lizars, a skilled engraver who demostrated the feasability of printing and publishing Audubon's large paintings; and to William McGillivray, conservator of the museum of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh who assisted Audubon in writing the Ornithological Biography and became his close friend. This is a beautifully illustrated account of Audubon's visits to Edinburgh and the people he met, with many examples of his art.

Condition

Vg. From the library of Keith Hyatt (d. 2021), acarologist at the Natural History Museum, London, with his ownership inscription inside front cover. Signed presentation inscription from the author to Keith Hyatt.