Since 2 have mentioned “The Birdman’s Wife by Melissa Ashley”, (please include the apostrophe, otherwise it is both wrong and nonsensical), I mention my review
of that book is in CBN (2018) 43(3): 315-318. ACT libraries has copies of the book, I note the book has been issued at least twice, with different cover designs.
I also mention, I remember my father taking me to see Gould’s original folios, during an open exhibition at the National Library of Victoria, when I was about
12 years old.
Philip
From: Marg Peachey [
Sent: Thursday, 25 April, 2019 10:22 AM
To: Geoffrey Dabb
Cc: Terry Bell; Canberra Birds
Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] Of general ornithological interest - Elizabeth Gould.
I have recently gone down that track after reading the Birdmans Wife as well. Beyond Q at Weston has a set of the Gould Volumes in the original folio size. Facinating!
On Wed, Apr 24, 2019 at 4:58 PM Geoffrey Dabb <> wrote:
Yes Terry, an advantage of living in Canberra is there are many books of ornithological interest held by the NLA, which received the benefit of Gregory Mathews' library, many volumes annotated in GMM's own hand.
Digitised versions of the full Gould's Birds of Australia can be found on the internet. You have probably been looking at one of the facsimile sets where the colours are much brighter than in the original faded lithographs. So far as the text is concerned,
an improved version was published by Gould in 1865 as a 'Handbook' nearly 20 years after B of A (1840-1848), particularly useful for the additional vernacular and aboriginal names of birds. This was reprinted by Lansdowne 1972.
-----Original Message-----
From: Terry Bell <>
Sent: Wednesday, 24 April 2019 4:19 PM
To: chatline canberrabirds <>
Subject: Of general ornithological interest - Elizabeth Gould.
Having recently read and enjoyed the Birdmans Wife by Melissa Ashley and to learn more about the Gould’s travels in Australia in 1838/39 I have been visiting the National Library for research h purposes.
Of particular interest to me was the regent honeyeaters, then known as the warty faced h.e., gold and black h.e. or gold and black bee eater.
Apparently , it was very common with similar habits to the current noisy miner population.
No doubt all the information contained in Gould’s famous Birds of Australia ( 8 volumes ) is now in digitalised form and can be readily accessed on the web.
However, perhaps for the older generation, I do wish to share my pleasure around in this forum, and recommend first hand inspections of these truly wonderful works of art, in glorious colour printed way back in 1848.
Sent from my iPad
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