A History of the Birds of Europe

Dresser’s text is illustrated with 721 hand-coloured plates by some of the finest wildlife artists of the day. These are the master proofs from which further editions of the prints were made. The volumes here also contain additional inserted drawings and plates that were never issued.

Dresser was a leading ornithologist and producer of books. A History of the Birds of Europe took 13 years to complete and was produced in 84 parts, with 339 copies made. A full edition cost £52 10s (equivalent to more than £5,000 today). The artists for the illustrations include Joseph Wolf, who Edwin Landseer praised as ‘without exception, the best all-round animal artist who ever lived’.

Following the deferral of an export licence, the volumes have been jointly acquired by Manchester Museum and the John Rylands Research Institute and Library (JRL). The museum is a leading repository for Dresser’s ornithological specimens, while the JRL holds significant Dresser material as well as specialist collections of both natural history and ornithology.