South Africa: A Bird Lover's Paradise by W. Nichol

South Africa: A Bird Lover's Paradise (Illustrated 1972 Southern African Bird Photography)

A Colour-Plate Portrait of South African Birds, Nests and Chicks, Photographed by a Retired Free State Farmer

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: South Africa: A Bird Lover's Paradise
• Author: W. Nichol
• Publisher: Howard Timmins, Cape Town
• Publication Date: 1972
• ISBN-10: 0869780077
• Binding: Publisher's speckled turquoise cloth boards with a plain teal cloth spine strip, in an illustrated dust jacket.
• Physical Format: Large format, roughly quarto-sized hardcover, heavily illustrated with full-page colour plates and short text commentaries.
• Language: English

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Very Good (VG)
• Exterior / Boards: The speckled turquoise cloth boards are clean and bright, with no obvious damage. The teal cloth spine strip is sound, with the spine head showing slight rubbing. Corners have not been closely assessed.
• Interior: The pages are clean and cream-coloured, with no foxing, markings or stains. The text block is slightly toned, and a small spot appears near the bottom of the title page. The binding is tight and the colour plates are bright.
• The Dust Jacket: Present. The illustrated black jacket carries colour photographs of birds. It shows light surface scuffing and some edge wear and rubbing, and the rear flap has a small brown spot. The jacket is protected in a durable archival-type plastic cover, which has some creasing.

Synopsis & Historical Value

Published in Cape Town in 1972 by Howard Timmins, South Africa: A Bird Lover's Paradise is a large-format picture book devoted to the birds of South Africa. Its full-page colour photographs show adults, nests and chicks, and each image is accompanied by a short commentary.

According to the jacket, the author, W. Nichol, was born in Kimberley and farmed in the Free State before taking up bird photography in retirement. The book is the work of a patient field enthusiast rather than a professional ornithologist, and it is dedicated to his wife Phyllis.

The book was issued by Howard Timmins, who was regarded as the doyen of South African book publishers from 1948 until his retirement in 1974. It will appeal to collectors of Africana natural history, bird photography and illustrated South African publishing of the early 1970s.

South African birds photography book · W. Nichol bird book · Howard Timmins 1972 · Africana ornithology · illustrated South African bird book · bird photography Africana hardcover