Skelton 23.

Koeman Me 152

The Jesuit scholar François Viger’s edition is described by Dibdin as “the best edition yet published”., Dibdin I, 194.

Fernel (1506-58) was physician to Henri II and tutor of Vesalius. He lectured on Hippocrates and Galen, coined the terms physiology and pathology and his work was tremendously influential.

William Francklin (1763-1839), eldest son of the classical scholar Thomas Francklin, joined the Bengal Native Infantry as a cadet in 1783 and enjoyed a distinguished military career. However, he carved out an equally notable career as a scholar of oriental languages and literature. A long-standing member of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, in retirement he became a member of the Council and Librarian of the Royal Asiatic Society, London. For this particular work, as he reveals in the preface, he drew on Persian manuscript sources such as “the Shah Aulum Nameh ... by Gholaum Ali”. The Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II (reigned 1759-1806) was the last emperor to wield real power, although the actual power at his disposal fluctated widely over a long and contentous reign in which he sought to restore the lost glories of the Mughal Empire. In 1788, a decade before Francklin was writing, Shah Alam was blinded by his wazir, and although he held onto his throne and exacted vengeance his position was greatly weakened. After the battle of Delhi in 1803 the East India Company styled itself ‘protector’ of the elderly ruler, quashing the threat of direct French interference and utilising the widespread (if largely nominal) authority which still adhered to the title., ESTC T145523

“Gibbon is one of those few writers who hold as high a place in the history of literature as in the roll of great historians.” Bury's judgement, opening his authoritative edition of the work, can hardly be bettered and few could disagree with his supporting comment that the, Decline and Fall

Contains the works of the ancient grammarians Varro, Festus, Nonius Marcellus and others.

The Birds of Europe, Gould’s second major project described by Hyman as his magnum opus, was heavily dependent upon the industry and talent of Gould’s wife Elizabeth. However, Elizabeth Gould’s work was transformed by the participation of Edward Lear. The birds were not allowed to remain suspended in mid air like stuffed specimens in a case, but were presented in their own habitats and Elizabeth Gould was also influenced by the accuracy and vitality of Lear's birds, aided by the revolutionary use of lithography which preserved the style and sponteneity of the original drawing. The Birds of Europe received a rapturous welcome at the time, and is arguably among the most magnificent and important ornithological works ever produced.

The Birds of Europe, Gould’s second major project described by Hyman as his magnum opus, was heavily dependent upon the industry and talent of Gould’s wife Elizabeth. However, Elizabeth Gould’s work was transformed by the participation of Edward Lear. The birds were not allowed to remain suspended in mid air like stuffed specimens in a case, but were presented in their own habitats and Elizabeth Gould was also influenced by the accuracy and vitality of Lear's birds, aided by the revolutionary use of lithography which preserved the style and sponteneity of the original drawing. The Birds of Europe received a rapturous welcome at the time, and is arguably among the most magnificent and important ornithological works ever produced.

The Birds of Europe, Gould’s second major project described by Hyman as his magnum opus, was heavily dependent upon the industry and talent of Gould’s wife Elizabeth. However, Elizabeth Gould’s work was transformed by the participation of Edward Lear. The birds were not allowed to remain suspended in mid air like stuffed specimens in a case, but were presented in their own habitats and Elizabeth Gould was also influenced by the accuracy and vitality of Lear's birds, aided by the revolutionary use of lithography which preserved the style and sponteneity of the original drawing. The Birds of Europe received a rapturous welcome at the time, and is arguably among the most magnificent and important ornithological works ever produced.

The Birds of Europe, Gould’s second major project (described by Hyman as his magnum opus), is dominated by the extraordinary contribution of Edward Lear. Arguably Gould's inspiration for the project was Lear's folio lithographed work on Parrots. Lear chose the large folio size which became general for later bird books, he was also among the first to draw from life where possible and he was the first to appreciate the full potential of the new process of lithography for ornithological illustration. Lear learned the process of lithography from Charles Hullmandel, author of 'The Art of Drawing on Stone' and the printer of the Birds of Europe. Hullmandel visited Germany to learn the technique directly from Senefelder, its inventor. Hundreds of faithful impressions could be taken from a lithographic stone, and drawing directly onto the stone preserved the style and sponteneity of the original drawing, rather than translating the original medium into the lines and dots necessary when etching onto copper or steel. It was perfect for showing strong flight feathers, or plumage ruffled by the wind. Lear's financial difficulties - he was forced to abandon his work on Parrots and sell the copyright to Gould - enabled Gould to employ him more fully in the Birds of Europe than he had in his work on Toucans. Lear supplied 67 plates, and chose to illustrate many of the largest and most charismatic birds. He also influenced the work of his fellow artist, Gould’s wife Elizabeth. The Birds of Europe received a rapturous welcome at the time, and is arguably among the most magnificent and important ornithological works ever produced.