Prideaux John Selby

Prideaux John Selby (1788-1867)
A collection of original watercolour drawings, manuscript and printed material relating to Selby's scientific pursuits, chiefly entomology, but including ornithology, climatology, geology and local history. [Circa 1815-1860]. Provenance: Sir William Selby Church (1837-1928, nephew of P.J. Selby).
[Including:]
1. John Prideaux Selby. An album of original watercolours of moths, dragonflies and other insects. [Twizell House, Northumberland: circa 1836 and later, watermark 1815]. 4° (224 x 185mm). 54 leaves bearing original drawings (including 50 watercolours and 4 in pencil). (Four leaves with sections excised.) Original half calf (scuffed, section of spine lacking). The watercolours include 33 leaves of moths and caterpillars, some on their food plants, 3 leaves of dragonflies, 6 of wasps and bees and 4 of flies: all are highly-finished minutely observed drawings.
2. John Prideaux Selby. An album largely devoted to manuscript records of the weather. Twizell Hall, Northumberland: 1843-1851 [watermark 1814]. 4° (224 x 185mm). 127 leaves of manuscript notes in ink, 8 leaves of original drawings of beetles. Original half calf (scuffed, spine chipped). The notes comprise 7 leaves of entomological interest with simple integral pen and ink sketches, 81 leaves of barometric readings for the period between March 1843 and December 1851, made twice daily (with occasional gaps) with notes on the temperature and weather, 39 leaves of thermometer readings from August 1843 to December 1849. The original drawings include 7 leaves of watercolours and one pen and ink drawing.
3. Prideaux John Selby. An album largely devoted to natural history notes and observations. [Twizell Hall, Northunberland: circa 1820-] 1835-1862 [watermarked 1810]. 4° (227 x 188mm). 48 leaves of manuscript notes in ink, 5 original drawings. Contemporary green half morocco (scuffed, rubbed). The notes, in diary form, comment on all aspects of the natural world in the vicinity of Twizell Hall: weather, birds, animals, insects, etc. The drawings include a preliminary pencil drawing of a Bearded Tit which appears to be a preliminary sketch for the bird illustrated on plate 51 of vol.I of Selby's Illustrations of Britiah ornithology.
4.Prideaux John Selby. Manuscript article 'Minutes of the Geology of the Coast of Holy Island', n.p. [?Twizell Hall, Northumberland], n.d. [watermark date 1817], 5 pages illustrated with a map of the island, 8vo. The map of the island in brown ink, includes three watercolour washes indicating the position of three different types of rock. This short notice may have been prepared for publication for one of a number of local history societies that Selby was an active member of.
5.Prideaux John Selby. Manuscript article 'Notice of fossil remains of Bos prumgonius, owen &c, found in the parish of Bamburgh', n.p. [?Twizell Hall, Northumberland], n.d., 15 pages, 8vo. Giving details of the 'interesting fossil remains of the Bovine animal now exhibited to the members of the Club, were found many years ago in cutting a deep drain about a mile and a half from Twizell', trying to place the species in context and commenting on possible progenitors of modern cattle.
6.Henry Doubleday (1808-1875). 3 autograph letters signed ('Henry Doubleday') to an unidentified correspondent [Prideaux John Selby], Epping, 2 February, 6 October and 20 October 1841, 8 pages, 4to. Concerning entomological matters and in particular moth-catching, giving the names of various species captured, and commenting that it had been a good season for moths: 'I have captured and set about nine thousand specimens of Lepidoptera this year'.
With a small collection of related manuscript material addressed to Selby from various correspondants, and a small group of manuscript and printed items by or to George Johnston (1797-1855), naturalist and contemporary, colleague, neighbour and friend to Selby.