The Philosophy of Natural History
by [DAYES, Edward] SMELLIE, William
- Used
- Condition
- Binding lightly rubbed, very good overall.
- Seller
-
Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
An attractive fore-edge painting based upon the famous Sydney Cove view engraved by Edward Dayes. This image, transmitted through various forms (from oil on canvas to engraving to fore-edge painting) is believed to be the work of convict artist Thomas Watling.
Engravings by Dayes after originals by Watling feature in the First Fleet accounts of Collins and Hunter, and are now iconic Australiana images. The present for-edge rendition is skilfully executed, painted under the gilding and only to be revealed only when the pages are gently fanned. An old clipping from a booksellers catalogue advertising this book (circa 1930) notes the Sydney view, and the pastedown bears the bookplate of New Zealand book collector and art critic E. C. Simpson.
William Smellie (1740-1795) was the editor of the first edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, eminnent natural historian and co-founder of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. This popular and posthumous edition is edited by one of the founders of the Boston Society of Natural History, John Ware. Smellie was considered a precursor to Darwin and the work notably contains a section on marsupials and the platypus.
.Reviews
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- Hordern House Rare Books (AU)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 3911442
- Title
- The Philosophy of Natural History
- Author
- [DAYES, Edward] SMELLIE, William
- Book Condition
- Used - Binding lightly rubbed, very good overall.
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Publisher
- Scott, Webster & Geary
- Place of Publication
- London
- Date Published
- 1837
Terms of Sale
Hordern House Rare Books
14 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 14 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged. For full terms please visit our website.
About the Seller
Hordern House Rare Books
About Hordern House Rare Books
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Bookplate
- Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...