A General History of Birds

John Latham

Published by Jacob and Johnson, London, 1821

About this Item

Volumes 1-10 of Latham's history of birds- leading English ornithologist of his day. 3/4 black leather over brown, blue, red, and yellow marbled boards. Leather label with title on spine and raised bands with volume labels in each compartment. Edges of pages are marbles as well. Spines in various states of wear, but all in-tact. Pages are clear and bright throughout. The following is an article first published in hardcopy in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 2, (MUP), 1967: John Latham (1740-1837), ornithologist, was born on 27 june 1740 at Eltham, Kent, England, son of John Latham, a surgeon. He was educated at Merchant Taylor's School, and after completing his medical education at London hospitals practiced medicine for many years at Dartford. He took a leading part in the formation of the Linnean Society ofo London in 1788. He died on 4 February 1837. From early in life natural history and particularly birds were Latham's major interests and he became the leading English ornithologist of his day. The chief results of his studies were published in three works: A General Synopsis of Birds, volumes 1-3, with supplements in 1787 and 1801; Index Ornithologicus, Sive Systema Ornitologiae. Volumes 1-2, 1790, with supplement in 1801; and A General History of Birds, volumes 1-10, 1821-28. The Illustrations were designed, etched, and colored by Latham himself. Apart from his major works he contributed the descriptions of birds in The Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay. 1789. The period of Latham's ornithological work coincided with James Cook's voyages and the first years of colonization of eastern Australia, and as a result a large number of Australian birds were included in his books. He was a friend and correspondent of all the important English naturalists and collectors and thus was able to examine practically all specimens and drawings of birds which reached england. He was particularly interested in drawings and made copies of those which he borrowed. Sir Joseph Banks lent him the drawings made by artists on all Cook's voyages. A particularly important source of illustrations of Australian birds was the 'Lambert Drawings' which he borrowed from Aylmer Bourke Lambert who apparently acquired them from surgeon-general John White. A considerable number of these appear to be copies of some of the 'Watling drawings', the work of Thomas Watling and other artists in the infant settlement at Port Jackson. Although he does not mention Watling, Latham quotes notes on the habits of birds taken from drawings in the Watling set. The birds described in the Synopsis and the first supplement were vernacular descriptions only and no scientific names were given. Johann Friedrich Gmelin published in 1788-89 a new enlarged edition of Linnaeus's Systema Naturae . and in that work rendered Latham's descriptions into Latin and gave them scientific names, thereby gaining the credit of being the first to describe and name scientifically the birds already brought to notice by Latham. In his Index Ornithologicus and the second supplement to the Synopsis Latham provided the first publlished descriptions and scientific names of many Australian birds, some common and well-known examples being the emu, white cockatoo, wedge-tailed eagle, lyre-bird, and magpie. Latham was essentially a compiler and his ornithology was not of a high standard even for his day; however, he made the first contribution of any importance to Australian ornithology, and it was not surpassed until John Gould embarked on his comprehensive and systematic study several decades later. Seller Inventory # 029504

Bibliographic Details

Title: A General History of Birds

Publisher: Jacob and Johnson, London

Publication Date: 1821

Binding: Three-Quarter Leather

Condition: Good