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Life of A Scotch Naturalist - Thomas Edward " Associate of the Linnean Society" Samuel Smiles Sir George Reid (illustrations) Description: London: John Murray, 1876 / 1877 Stated Third Edition; 3/4 Antique leather, marbled boards, marbled edges and endsheets; octavo size with (xxx) 446 pages including the engraved frontispiece portrait, 6 plates and 25 smaller illustrations including maps within the text. Gift inscription to previous owner, dated 1893. The important b iography of Thomas Edward, including the development of his natural history collection and detailed information on birds, crustacea, mollusks, fishes and much more. "...Thomas Edward is not an ordinary man. Eighteen years since, I mentioned him in Self-Help, as one of the most extraordinary instances of perseverance in the cause of science that had ever come under my notice. Nor was he a man of any exalted position in society. He was a shoemaker then; he is a shoemaker still. For nearly thirty years he has fought the battle of scientific poverty. He was one of those men who lived for science, not by science. His shyness prevented him pushing himself forward; and when he had done his work, he was almost forgotten. How he pursued his love of Nature,—how he satisfied his thirst for knowledge, in the midst of trials, difficulties, and troubles,—not the least of which was that of domestic poverty,—will be found related in the following book. Indeed, it may be said of him, that he has endured as much hardship for the cause of science, as soldiers do in a prolonged campaign. He spent most of his nights out of doors, amidst damp, and wet, and cold. Men thought him mad for enduring such risks. He himself says, “I have been a fool to Nature all my life.”" - from the Preface Condition: Very Good clean, tight and bright book with light cover spots and the b ottom edge of cover edges worn as shown in the pictures here. Interior is very clean with a previous owner's gift inscription, dated 1893 on the first free endpaper. Additional Information: Thomas Edward (1814–1886) was a Scottish naturalist born in Gosport. He was trained as a shoemaker and eventually settled in Banff ( the town in the Banff and Buchan area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland) , where he devoted his leisure to the study of animal nature, and collected numerous specimens of animals, which he stuffed and exhibited, but with pecuniary loss; the Queen's attention being called to his case, she settled on him an annual pension of £50, while the citizens of Aberdeen presented him in March 1877 with a gift of 130 sovereigns (£130). Samuel Smiles (1812 - 1904) was a Scottish author and government reformer. Although he campaigned on a Chartist platform, he concluded that more progress would come from new attitudes than from new laws. His masterpiece, Self-Help (1859), promoted thrift and claimed that poverty was caused largely by irresponsible habits, while also attacking materialism and laissez-faire government. It has been called "the bible of mid-Victorian liberalism" and raised Smiles to celebrity status almost overnight. Sir George Reid was commissioned to paint Smiles's portrait, completed in 1877 and now in the collection of the National Gallery, London. Sir George Reid PPRSA (1841 - 1913) was a Scottish artist. He showed his versatility in landscape, which combined great breadth with fine detail, but most of all in his portraits, which are marked by great individuality, and by fine insight into character. His work in black-and-white, his admirable illustrations in brushwork of Edinburgh and its neighborhood, and also his pen-drawings, about which it has been declared that "his work contains all the subtleties and refinements of a most delicate etching," must also be noted. Elected Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy in 1870, Reid attained full membership in 1877, and took up his residence in Edinburgh, at 17 Carlton Terrace on Calton Hill,[3] in 1882. In 1891 he was elected President - a post which he held until 1902 - receiving also the honor of knighthood, and he was awarded a gold medal at the Paris Exhibition of 1900. Cavemodern was founded in 2005 as a home for important "modern" books and works on paper. "Cave" meant a home for both the tangible touch of beautiful objects and a cozy virtual den for armchair exploration. "Modern" starts with the art and literature that went beyond realistic depictions to expressive use of color, non-traditional materials, and new techniques and mediums. Our focus has evolved to be on important pieces by cultural innovators that take their work in new, unexpected, and modern directions .