Notes:
The prints in this series were issued in groups monthly from 1789 to 1813 (although some of the prints were published prior). The English naturalist, George Shaw, wrote the text for this work, and the plates were drawn and engraved by natural history artist, Frederick P. Nodder. After Nodder's death in 1800, his son finished the illustrations.
George Shaw was a medical practitioner and a lecturer in botany at Oxford University, a founder of the Linnean Society of London and Keeper of the Natural History Section of the British Museum. He published one of the first English descriptions with scientific names of several of the common Australian animals. He was among the first scientists to examine a platypus and published the first scientific description of it in The Naturalist's Miscellany.
Frederick Polydore Nodder was a British natural history artist who illustrated both plants and animals. In addition to working on Shaw's The Naturalist's Miscellany, he also helped Joseph Banks prepare the Banks Florilegium and converted most of Sydney Parkinson's Australian plant drawings into paintings and helped engrave them for publication.
Condition: Generally very good, the colors bright, the paper with the usual light overall toning, some minor scattered wear, soiling, soft creases.
We are exceptionally fortunate to have located these prints as they have become very scarce, coming onto the market so infrequently of late that it is almost certainly an indicator that there are very few left in private hands . We have been more forgiving of their condition than usual because of this scarcity. Thus, with some the paper may be darker than others & there is a little marginal toning and a few fox marks. The original descriptive text, both in Latin & English is quite shabby, with foxing and discolouration, but is nevertheless present for almost all of the prints. When a print is on toned paper, we have so indicated & recognized this in the price. Each print measures approximately 5 1/2 inches by 9 1/2 inches. Please review the photos carefully as they are very accurate.
