BATES, Henry Walter.

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The Naturalist on the River Amazons, a Record of Adventures, Habits of Animals, Sketches of Brazilian and Indian Life, and Aspects of Nature Under the Equator, During Eleven Years of Travel. First edition of Bates's narrative of his travels in South America. The wood engravings, particularly the frontispiece in Volume I, are beautifully rendered from drawings by several leading natural history illustrators. It was described by Darwin as "the best work of natural history travels ever published in England" (Life and Letters, p. 381). Bates travelled with his friend and colleague Alfred Russel Wallace through the Amazon basin for two years, 1848-9, and remained behind when Wallace returned to England; he stayed for 11 years in total. Bates supported his own entomological collecting interests by supplying specimens for public and private collections, sending approximately 14,700 species back to England, 8,000 of which were new to science. He was encouraged to write his account by Darwin, with whom he frequently corresponded and who recommended Bates to his own publisher, John Murray. The resulting work became "an immediate success and travel classic" (ODNB). Jointly a personal diary, account of the region, guide to the customs of its inhabitants, and detailed analysis of native fauna, The Naturalist on the River Amazons "provides a fascinating record of the natural environment and wildlife of Amazonia before the major impact of the rubber boom... The book's enduring appeal lies i

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