The Birds of Australia

The Birds of Australia is a comprehensive 12-volume ornithological reference work published between 1910 and 1927. The work stands as one of three major illustrated texts on Australian birds, positioned chronologically between John Gould's earlier work and the later Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Amateur ornithologist Gregory Mathews authored the volumes with support from Tom Iredale, producing 225 numbered copies in royal quarto format through H. F. & G. Witherby publishers in London. The publication includes five supplements that form a thirteenth volume, containing both a Check-List of Australian Birds and a Bibliography. The text focuses on bird nomenclature and taxonomic documentation, providing a scientific complement to Gould's earlier artistic treatment of Australian avifauna. The volumes serve as a foundational resource for the study and classification of Australia's bird species. This scholarly work represents a significant contribution to Australian ornithology, establishing precise naming conventions and documentation standards that influenced future research in the field.

There are very limited public reader reviews available for The Birds of Australia by Gregory Mathews, as this is a rare historical ornithological work published between 1910-1927. The volumes are primarily held by libraries and museums rather than individual readers. Academic citations praise the book's detailed illustrations and comprehensive documentation of Australian bird species. The hand-colored plates by artists like J.G. Keulemans receive specific mention for their accuracy and artistry. Main criticisms focus on: - The high original cost limited accessibility - Frequent taxonomic revisions created confusion - Some descriptions were based on limited specimen samples No ratings exist on Goodreads or Amazon. The book appears in library special collections and rare book catalogs, with prices for complete sets reaching over $100,000 at auction. Scholarly reviews from the period of publication note the volumes' importance for Australian ornithology while debating Mathews' tendency to split species into numerous subspecies.

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🦜 The entire 225-copy print run was hand-numbered, making each set uniquely identifiable and highly valuable for collectors and institutions. 🎨 The publication process spanned the First World War (1914-1918), presenting extraordinary challenges in maintaining consistent quality and coordinating with European printers. 📚 Mathews personally funded the project, investing his personal fortune earned from business ventures in London to support the extensive research and publication costs. 🦅 The series documented several bird species that are now extinct, including the Paradise Parrot, providing invaluable historical records of Australia's lost biodiversity. 🖋️ The creation of each colored plate involved multiple artisans - an initial artist to draw the bird, a lithographer to transfer the image to stone, and colorists to hand-paint each illustration.