WILLUGHBY, Francis.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Ornithologiae libri tres. First edition - a tall, wide-margined copy on thick paper - of this important illustrated work on ornithology, "the first systematic attempt to comprehensively itemise the British avifauna" (Callahan, p.28), from the library of the Earls of Macclesfield. The two authors, Francis Willughby (1635-1672) and John Ray (1627-1705), met at Cambridge, and spent a few years touring Britain and Europe and collecting fresh data, through observation and dissection, on the hundreds of bird species featured in this book. Willughby was alone credited as an author, as a posthumous tribute. Ornithologiae libri tres "had an unprecedented scientific rigour for its time and classified birds according to their detailed physical characteristics, including plumage... dividing [them] into landbirds and waterbirds, and using their observed physical characteristics to further subdivide into classes" (Callahan, p. 28). The chapters discuss the outward and inward appearance of birds, their age, and generation, followed by a catalogue with detailed information on each species and genus, and by 77 magnificent engravings. Appended are chapters on mythical birds, falconry, and Faroese seabirds. The work was also published in English in 1678.Provenance: Stephen C. Massey.

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