The breeds of domestic animals of the British Isles

London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green and Longmans, 1842. 2 volumes bound in one, folio. (16 1/2 x 13 inches). Half-titles, 56 hand-coloured lithographed plates by Fairland from drawings by William Nicholson, after paintings by William Shiels. Contemporary half red morocco by Wright, spine densely gilt with foliate and floral motifs. Marble paper boards, all edges gilt

A fine copy of this famous pioneering work illustrating in words and pictures the forerunners of all of today's most important breeds of horses, cows, sheep and pigs.

A beautiful series of very carefully observed portraits of the most perfect examples available of these (truncated) historically important breeds. The plates form a highly valuable record of the state of animal husbandry at the start of the period when agriculture came to be considered a science. David Low, professor of Agriculture at Edinburgh University, produced this work as a reference for those interested in the infant science of selective breeding. His worry was that the relatively simple basic concepts of matching a breed to its environment whilst improving its productivity were not understood by the majority of farmers or breeders. With the help of a government grant from Earl Spencer, Low set up the agricultural museum in Edinburgh. The artist, William Shiels of the Royal Scottish Academy, was commissioned to produce a series of paintings of all the significant breeds then of economic significance in Great Britain. These paintings were then used as the basis for the present work with the addition of Low's important and informative text.

BM(NH) III, p.1184; Mellon Books on the Horse and Horsemanship 168; Nissen ZBI 2564 (errorneously calling for 57 plates); Wood p.442; Tooley 307. (Inventory #: 40457)