ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE ZOOLOGY OF SOUTH AFRICA (Limited edition)

A facsimile reprint of the original work published in London during 1849

With an introduction by R. F. Kennedy

Volume 1 Mammals, Volume 2 Birds, Volume 3 Reptiles, Fish & Invertebrates

Facsimile reprint: 3 volumes: 268 + 494 + 703 pages, frontispiece portrait in volume 1, 17 + 114 + 113 colour plates, full brown leather bindings with title and decorative gilt on the spines, a very good set.

The limitation reads: This edition is limited to 350 numbered sets. This is set no 35.

Kirby (P.) Sir Andrew Smith's Zoology, A re-examination of the facts relating to its publications. Africana Notes & News, volume II, no. I. December 1944, pages 3-15.'Andrew Smith from the moment of his arrival in South Africa in 1821, interested himself in the natural history of the sub-continent. He began immediately to collect and to preserve specimens, and to publish descriptions of them wherever possible, both in South Africa and overseas. He founded the South African Museum in June, 1825, and issued the first part of a descriptive catalogue of some of the contents in 1826. He published in The South African Commercial Advertiser a series of articles which were intended to give in outline the zoology of South Africa, and he was the leading spirit in the founding of the first scientific paper to be published in the country, The South African Quarterly Journal, to which he contributed many valuable ornithological notes. He went on quite a number of scientific expeditions during his stay in South Africa, but it was his great expedition of 1834-1836 that supplied the bulk of the material for his classic work on South African Zoology.'

In the Preface Smith writes, ‘“The Cape of Good Hope Association for Exploring Central Africa,” which was established in Cape Town in 1833, found itself (on the return from the interior, in December 1836, of an expedition which it had despatched eighteen months before) in possession of an extensive and varied collection of objects of Natural History, many of which were new to science, and many others, though not new, comparatively little known. The Society, mindful of its original object,— the promotion of knowledge,— immediately resolved that descriptions and figures of the new and other objects of particular interest should, if possible, be published ; the more especially as beautiful representations of all had been made by Mr. Ford, from specimens either living or recently dead.......All the illustrations, with a few exceptions, have been executed by Mr. Ford, who, it has already been stated, made the drawings; and I feel confident that purchasers will not regret his having been selected. A cursory survey of the plates will, I think, convince anyone that they are the production of a master’s hand — a hand that depicts nature so closely as to render the representation nearly, if not equally, as valuable as the actual specimen. In describing colours, I have almost invariably had reference to the little but useful work of Mr. Syine, of Edinburgh,* and always employed his * “Werner’s Nomenclature of Colours.” Second Edition, 1821.’

Mendelssohn (Sydney) South African Bibliography, Volume 2, page 328, ‘This handsome and valuable work gives full particulars of the natural history subjects of South Africa, collected by Dr. Andrew Smith's expedition in the country lying between 25° and 27° 58' east longitude and 31° and 23° 28' south latitude, embracing part of the Cape Colony, Natal, and " Kafirland." The illustrations, which are of a very high order, were  executed by Mr. George Ford, who accompanied the expedition, and  consist of five plain and 273 coloured plates, while the letterpress is of a most accurate and exhaustive character. Part of the expense of the publication was defrayed by the British Government, in order that the work" might be sold at a price which would place it within the reach of the generality of naturalists." The plates were published in five divisions, " numbered independently, and the letterpress descriptions left unpaged, in order that they may be arranged according to the particular view of purchasers. An index to each division is given." In consequence of this arrangement this work is sometimes bound in three volumes and sometimes in four.’