Henry Dresser and Victorian Ornithology : birds, book and business /

McGhie, Henry A.,

Henry Dresser and Victorian Ornithology : birds, book and business / Henry A. McGhie. - Manchester : Manchester University Press, (c)2017. - 1 online resource

Includes bibliographies and index.

1. Family background and early life -- 2. Texas : the big adventure -- 3. Settling down to business -- 4. Early exploits in ornithological society -- 5. Collecting -- 6. Discovering the birds of Europe. I -- 7. Discovering the birds of Europe. II -- 8. Making The birds of Europe -- 9. A central figure : society life in the 1870s -- 10. The 1880s : the rise of rivalry -- 11. The 1890s : the continuing rise of the British Museum (Natural History) -- 12. Working independently, 1900-5 -- 13. The grand finale : producing Eggs of the birds of Europe -- 14. Time for a change -- 15. Legacies -- Appendix 1. Birds mentioned in the text -- Appendix 2. Birds named by Henry Dresser -- Appendix 3. Birds named after Henry Dresser -- Appendix 4. Publications based on Henry Dresser's collections, 1985-2017.

This book explores the life of Henry Dresser (1838-1915), one of the most productive British ornithologists of the mid-late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Dresser travelled widely and spent time in Texas during the American Civil War. The book explores how he and his contemporaries discovered the world's birds in farflung places. It also explores changes (and arguments) in scientific society over time.



9781526116017 9781526132307



GBB7G2323 bnb

018498666 Uk


Dresser, H. E. 1838-1915 --Correspondence.
Dresser, H. E. 1838-1915 --Diaries.
Dresser, H. E. 1838-1915 --Diaries.
Dresser, H. E. 1838-1915 --Correspondence.


Ornithologists--Biography.
Birds--History.
Birds--Identification.
Birds--Nomenclature.
Birds--Classification.
Birds--Collection and preservation.
Birds--Europe.
Ornithology--History--Great Britain--19th century.
Ornithologists--Great Britain--Biography.


Electronic Books.

QL31 / .H467 2017