Thorburn's Birds by James Fisher & John Parslow

Thorburn's Birds (Illustrated Edition in Printed Cloth Boards)

Archibald Thorburn's Celebrated Colour Plates of British Birds, Edited by James Fisher and Revised by John Parslow

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: Thorburn's Birds
• Authors: James Fisher & John Parslow
• Editor: James Fisher
• Publisher: Peerage Books, London
• Publication Date: 1985
• ISBN-10: 1850820186
• Edition Details: Peerage Books edition, 1985. Text edited by James Fisher and revised by John Parslow, with colour plates after Archibald Thorburn.
• Binding: Publisher's printed cloth boards, with the swan illustration printed on the cloth in blue and white; cream cloth spine lettered in blue. Issued without a dust jacket.
• Physical Format: Large format, approximately quarto, with many full-page colour plates after Archibald Thorburn.
• Language: English

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Very Good (VG)
• Exterior / Boards: The cloth-covered boards are printed in blue and white with a swan design to the front and back. There is some light yellowing and toning along the spine edge and at the lower edge of the front board, with a few small marks to the fore-edge and the head of the back cover. The corners are slightly bumped and there is some rubbing to the lower corner of the back board. The cream cloth spine is clean with blue lettering, the top of the spine slightly bumped.
• Interior: The text block is clean and tight, and the colour plates that can be seen are in good, strong colour. The pale grey endpaper is clean apart from a small faint spot. The page edges are slightly toned. No foxing is evident.
• The Dust Jacket: Not Applicable (As Issued)

Synopsis & Historical Value

Thorburn's Birds brings together the colour studies of Archibald Thorburn, the celebrated British bird illustrator, in a single large-format volume. The plates are drawn from his earlier four-volume British Birds, first published between 1915 and 1918, a work regarded as a classic of ornithological illustration.

The text was edited by the ornithologist and broadcaster James Fisher and revised by John Parslow. It sets out the status and distribution of each species across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, with an emphasis on conservation, and gives the book value as a working field companion as well as a picture book.

This Peerage Books edition of 1985 follows the compilation first issued in 1967 and later reissued in revised form. It is a handsome, collectible copy for anyone who values fine bird art, British natural history and the lasting reputation of Thorburn's plates.

Author Profile: Archibald Thorburn, James Fisher & John Parslow

Archibald Thorburn (1860-1935) was a leading illustrator of birds. His commission in 1887 to illustrate Lord Lilford's Coloured Figures of the Birds of the British Isles established his reputation. His other works include British Mammals (1920) and The Birds of the British Isles and their Eggs (1920-25).

James Fisher (1912-1970) was a British ornithologist, author, editor and broadcaster. His notable works include Birds of the Village (1944), Bird Recognition (Pelican) and The Shell Bird Book (1966). John Parslow is an ornithologist who held research posts with the British Trust for Ornithology, the Edward Grey Institute and NERC.

Thorburn's Birds Fisher Parslow · Archibald Thorburn bird plates · British birds colour plates book · James Fisher ornithologist · Peerage Books 1985 Thorburn · Thorburn British Birds illustrated · vintage bird illustration book