Primary Artist

J.W. Lewin (1770–1819)

Title

Birds of New South Wales with their natural history.

Physical description

A bound book of 18 etchings and 18 leaves of descriptive text

Source

Lewin, John. Birds of New South Wales with their natural history. Sydney: G. Howe, 1813

Page or Plate number

collection record

Date made

1813

Place made

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia View on map Close map

Category

Illustrated book

Print types

intaglio | relief

Matrix size

28.0 x 21.4 cm (page)

State

published state

Edition information

print run unknown

Collection

State Library of New South Wales

Accession number

Rare Books copy at SAFE/ L10/ L

Accession method

Purchased

Provenance

J.A. Gurner.
Son of Henry Field Gurner. The Public Library of New South Wales purchased for pounds 480 a collection of 700 books from his father’s library.

Henry Field Gurner (1819 - 1883)
Born in Sydney, became a solicitor in private practice until 1842. He then became clerk of the peace and crown solicitor at Port Phillip- then crown solicitor of Victoria from 1851 to his retirement in 1880. An early collector of Australiana he privately published his ‘Books on the Colonies and Colonial Publications in Possession of Henry Field Gurner.’Melbourne: 1878. In this work he notes only a copy of the 1838 edition.

Binders ticket of 'J. Pownceby, Book Binder, 45 Swanston St., Melbourne' (At this address from 1871 moved between 1876 and 1880 to Swan St, Melbourne).

Bound into this volume is an additional MS title page. This page carries the note 'A specimen of one of the first efforts of printing and engraving in Australia. Quaritch p.1021, 1868' Perhaps this is the source of the Gurner copy.

Credit line

Purchased 1886

Subject categories

Australia, Book arts: Illustrated book | Australia, Art period: Colonial, New South Wales | Australia, Animal: Bird

Country of context

Australia

Notes

Rare Books copy at SAFE/ L10/ L is bound by J. Pownceby, 45 Swanson St, Melbourne, in half morocco and marbled boards. Orange endpapers. Title and imprint recorded in manuscript on blank leaf following the title page, with note: "A specimen of one of the first efforts of printing and engraving in Australia" 'Quaritch p. 1012, 1868" and, in pencil, "See adv[er]t. Sydney Gazette 20.11.08"

Creators

Lewin, J.W. | (1770–1819) Australian | English | Male | artist

Last Updated

12 Nov 2024