Author Description

Dr. Thomas Horsfield was the first American naturalist to study the flora, fauna, entomology, and geology of Java and the neighboring islands. This facsimile reprint of Horsfield's original volume, (published in 1824), is a splendid account of a pioneering naturalist. Included is a memoir of Horsfield's life by Dr. John Bastin, who painstakingly reconstructs Horsfield's travels during his period in Indonesia, and his subsequent activities in England. Zoological Researches in Java and the Neighboring Islands established Horsfield as one of the great natural historians. The text is a collector's item not only because of its stunning illustrations, but also because it was only the second book ever to be produced containing color lithographs of natural history subjects. Many of the illustrations were produced by William Daniell, the foremost aquatint engraver of Asian topography of his day.