Donovan’s The Naturalist’s Repository – Two Volumes with 72 Engravings

This is the first two volumes with 72 originally hand-colored engravings from Edward Donovan’s The Naturalist’s Repository or Miscellany of Exotic Natural History: consisting of seventy-two elegantly coloured plates, with appropriate scientific and general descriptions of the most curious, scarce and beautiful quadrupeds, birds, fishes, insects, shells, marine productions, and other interesting objects of natural history, the progenies of foreign climates. The work was published in London for the author by W. Simpkin and R. Marshall between 1823 and 1827. The work is bound contemporary gilt-decorated green half morocco over marbled boards. The top edges are gilt with the remainder rough-trimmed.

Edward Donovan was involved in all the steps of creating the illustrations in his works from the drawing, etching, engraving, and hand-coloring. His artistic hand created some of the finest engravings that often have the appearance of watercolors. Donovan was an avid natural history collector, fellow of the Linnean Society and the Wernerian Natural History Society. He also opened his own private museum in 1807, the London Museum and Institute of Natural History.

Donovan’s engravings are noted for their exceptionally hand-colored images. He drew the images himself from his own museum as well as the collections of Sir Joseph Banks & Dru Drury.