Lieutenant Thomas Skottowe
The Skottowe Manuscript. Illustrations by Richard Browne. Foreword by Sir David Attenborough, commentary by Tim Bonyhady and notes by John Calaby.
The first and only publication of The Skottowe Manuscript since its creation in 1813.
Two volumes, 80 & 112 pp., large octavo format (310 x 195 mm.), with 27 full-page watercolours and 26 pages of manuscript in colour-facsimile; printed on high quality gloss art paper, bound in fine cloth; slipcase.
VERY LIMITED AVAILABILITY
Australian: $425 (Approx. US $443, Euro €337)
ISBN 9780908197835
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About the Book
Celebrated as the best designed, illustrated adult book in the Australian Book Publishers Association Design Awards, The Skottowe Manuscript is a rare and valuable collector's piece. It is also a remarkable natural history of New South Wales. David Attenborough writes in his foreword that the book's beauty lies in its representation of '...a land full of marvels seen with wonder and innocence'. This is the first and only publication of The Skottowe Manuscript since its creation one hundred and seventy-five years ago. In 1813, Thomas Skottowe, an early colonial official, and convict artist Richard Browne compiled a remarkable record of the birds, animals, insects, reptiles, and fish of the New South Wales region, comprising 27 watercolours and 26 pages of hand-written copper-plate text. For each illustration in Volume I, Skottowe records his own excited comments and the native name for the subject, making The Skottowe Manuscript a delight to read as well as admire. To place the work in its historical context, author and historian Tim Bonyhady writes knowledgeably about the content of the manuscript in Volume II. Celebrated as the best designed, illustrated adult book in the Australian Book Publishers Association Design Awards, The Skottowe Manuscript is a rare and valuable collector's piece. It is also a remarkable natural history of New South Wales. David Attenborough writes in his foreword that the book's beauty lies in its representation of '...a land full of marvels seen with wonder and innocence'.
About the Author
Thomas Skottowe was a Lieutenant in the 73rd (Highland) Regiment of Foot which set sail for Sydney in 1809 under the command of Lachlan Macquarie to replace the New South Wales Corps after the rebellion against Governor Bligh. Skottowe served as Commandant of the penal colony in Newcastle from 1811 to 1814. His interest in natural history is evident from the manuscript. His collection of specimens indigenous to the Newcastle area forms the content of the original manuscript. Richard Browne, a somewhat shadowy figure, was transported from Dublin for seven years in 1810; he arrived in Sydney in 1811, aged thirty-five. A second offence resulted in his being sent to Newcastle. Here, Skottowe was able to use Browne's artistic talents to illustrate his manuscript. From 1817, when he returned as a free man to Sydney, to his death in 1824, Browne worked as a professional artist, specialising in studies in Aborigines and natural history, almost always in watercolour. His few works that have appeared on the market have commanded very high prices.