South African Drawings of William Burchell (2 volumes)

Seldom are both volumes of Burchell's Drawings available as a pair. Each volume (1938 and 1952) was limited to 300 copies. Helen McKay undertook pioneering research into the work and life of William John Burchell, the famous multi-talented naturalist who undertook a 4 year trek in South Africa.

Burchell's skill as an artist became more widely known in 2015 with the publication of Burchell's Travel's by Susan Buchanan (Penguin). Most of his art is now at Museum Africa (previously at the library of the University of the Witwatersrand) and has not been displayed for many decades. Burchell's anthropological drawings were pioneering and his landscapes display his excellent reproduction of perspective.

The book comprises Collotype Reproductions with Descriptive Text, edited by Helen M McKay. A biographical sketch of McKay is loosely inserted between free endpapers volume 1.2 volumes, unpaginated, frontispiece portraits, 1 map in each volume, 19 + 20 (13 folding) collotype reproductions with descriptive text (4 + 11 in colour).

Half red morocco gilt - the corners are slightly worn, red cloth sides, marbled endpapers, light foxing throughout volume 1 (1938), which is without a dust jacket; volume 2 has original dusk jacket, which is splitting (see image) and protected by Brodart wrapper. Gubbins Trust Publications Numbers 1 & 2. Each volume published in an edition limited to 300 copies of which these are numbers 32 (1938) and 150 (1952). A very good set.