A bibliography of Gilbert White, the Natural Historian and Antiquarian of Selborne.

Westminster:: Roxburghe Press, [1895-7]., 1895. Small 8vo. xiii, [1], [15]-274 pp. Frontispiece, 4 plates [1 large folding "Summary of Editions" table, 1 map, 2 pls.]. Original gilt-stamped rust cloth; front hinge reinforced with kozo. Bookplates of Charles Atwood Kofoid [UC BERKELEY]; bookplate and embossed stamp of the Los Angeles County Medical Assoc. Historical Collection; spine call no. over-painted; rear pocket. Very good. "THERE are many places in England prettier than the little Hampshire village of Selborne, but none of them are so full of interest to the outdoor naturalist as the home of Gilbert White. Though more than a century has passed away since the simple student of nature's ways in the sleepy hollow of Selborne first gave the world the benefit of his observations and impressions, the book in which these notes are published is as fresh now as ever it was. The reason for this is, it seems to the writer, that Gilbert White was usually content to record facts as he found them, and he did not regard nature from the point of view of a pre-conceived theory. Accurate observations of natural objects and phenomena live for ever, but the explanation of such facts must alter from time to time as wider knowledge of the laws of nature is obtained. / "The success of White's "Selborne" has had two unfortunate effects: it has made every country clergyman who can distinguish a martin from a swallow think that he is a G1lbert White, and it has caused the literary world to be deluged with so-called popular natural history works, which are often more remarkable for thoughts about nothing than for observations of something. We can, however, forgive the authors of such rhapsodies for inflicting their musings upon a busy world, because of the real naturalists which White's "Selborne" has created." / "How large and widespread is the public to which the book appeals may be seen by the volume before us. Mr. Martin has found no less than seventy-three separate editions of our natural history classic; so the aggregate number of volumes published must be very great. The features of each of these editions are described in detail; hence Selbornites are now provided with interesting particulars of the various volumes which have refreshed the mind and administered to the intellectual enjoyment of thousands of nature-lovers the world over." – Nature, [review], vol. 56, page 418 (1897). PROVENANCE: Charles Atwood Kofoid (1865-1947), marine biologist, in 1910 he succeeded Ritter as chairman of the Department of Zoology at Berkeley and served in that position until 1936. He was also an avid book collector who amassed an astonishing amount of material. He was, in fact, 'wheeling and dealing' – selling and trading his way to a bibliographic treasure trove. All of it apparently given to Berkeley on his passing. From there, a large swath of material, said to be a truckload, went to Jake Zeitlin [bookseller], who drew from this group books and papers of historical importance, and sold them for the rest of his days.