BATES, Henry Walter.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

The Naturalist on the River Amazons. Second edition, presentation copy, inscribed by Bates to a since-erased recipient - possibly the French naturalist Émile Deyrolle (1838-1917) - "with kind regards of his friend, the author". Copies inscribed by Bates himself, as opposed to bearing the publisher's presentation blind stamp, are scarce. The Naturalist is commonly acknowledged as "one of the finest scientific travel books of the 19th century" (DSB).Deyrolle was a prominent publisher and dealer of natural historical materials in the later 19th century, the period when Bates was assistant secretary at the Royal Geographical Society, patron of 18 international expeditions, and an energetic campaigner for geography in the scientific establishment. Deyrolle's connection with this copy is first recorded in the 1992 auction catalogue for Jeremy Norman's collection of books on evolution, where the inscription is already recorded as partially erased.Bates initially travelled to the Amazon with Alfred Russel Wallace in 1848, remaining behind when Wallace returned to England and staying for 11 years in total. He sent some 14,700 species back to England, 8,000 of which were unknown to science. Darwin encouraged him to write up his experiences, recommending him to John Murray, his own publisher. The resulting work was "an immediate success and travel classic" (ODNB), being translated into numerous languages. At once a personal diary, an account of the region, a guide to the customs of its

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