A History of British Birds with Coulored Illustrations of Eggs 1883-85
London: Published For the Author By R. H. Porter and Dulau & Co, 1883. [First Edition]. Hardcover. 4 vols., royal octavo, pp.614, 600, 684, 124 + 68 coulored plates. Rebound in attractive matching buckram, marbled endpapers & ads bound in. [Shipping & Insurance To Be Determined. Inquire before ordering]. -- Condition. Near fine. Item #10376
"A Quaker and steel manufacturer based in Sheffield, Henry Seebohm (1832–1895) used his wealth to pursue a passion for birds. Described by Milsom as more of a ‘flawed genius than an ornithological hero’, Seebohm was one of several Victorian ornithologists who traveled widely to collect both skins and eggs, but who – unusually for the time – also pursued the study of living birds. In an era when systematics, nomenclature and taxonomy defined ornithology, Seebohm was among the first to embrace Darwin’s evolutionary ideas to see the link between geographical variation and the way species are formed. Seebohm used trinomials to identify geographic subspecies and in so doing emphasized the ongoing nature of evolution. As Milsom explains, the key to the resurrection of Seebohm’s reputation is that his ideas were the basis for Ernst Mayr’s 1940s biological species concept – the issue of what constitutes a species and how they arise – that was to have such a powerful influence on our understanding of speciation, systematics and evolution. In the 1990s, Mayr acknowledged Seebohm’s crucial role in the development of his own ideas, and Milsom’s meticulous research now reveals how Seebohm came even closer to the biological species concept than even Mayr recognised".-britishbirds.co.uk.
Price: $425.00