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Mammals of Australia by John Gould, 1845 -1863

John Gould is usually thought of as the "bird man", but following his trip to Australia between May 1838 and August 1839, he published Mammals of Australia in three volumes with 182 beautifully hand coloured lithographic plates.

Goulds Mammals 04

Mammals of Australia was published in 13 Parts, in 3 volumes with 182 hand coloured lithographic plates. Most of the plates were by Gould's long-term artist H.C. Richter with one, the hairy nosed wombat, by J. M. Wolf the well-known bird and animal artist. Each plate has a detailed description or letterpress.

While many artists travelling with the earliest explorers had painted Australian animals, this was the first publication on that subject on this scale.

When Gould set out for Australia in May 1838 he was focused on the birds of Australia and had not intended to publish on the animals but he was so intrigued by these "strange" animals that he decided to publish Mammals of Australia.


From John Gould's Mammals of Australia
From John Gould's Mammals of Australia


From John Gould's Mammals of Australia
From John Gould's Mammals of Australia


Gould's decision to publish Mammals of Australia was made after observing their distinctive nature -

It was not however, until I arrived in the country, and found myself surrounded by objects as strange as if I had been transported to another planet that I conceived the idea of diverting a part of my attention to the mammalian class of its extraordinary fauna.
(Gould, John, mammals of Australia, Preface p. viii)

Of particular interest are Gould's comments on the Tasmanian tiger, now extinct-

I now come to the most bloodthirsty of the Australian mammals -the Wolf of the Marsupials - the Thylacinus of Tasmania's forest clad country-the only member of the Order which gives trouble to the shepherd or uneasiness to the stockholder.
Gould John, mammals of Australia, Introduction, p. xix)

RGSSA 
599.0994 G697 1863 d 1845-1863 - located in the State Library's Rare Book Room

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