A handsome copy with the lovely frontispiece by Moses Griffith of “an elegant little Falcon, drawn and engraved from a fine specimen lately brought over from North America.”
Forster (1729-1798) is perhaps best known for sailing on Cook’s second voyage and the publication of this work was instrumental to his appointment on it.
Based on the Linnaean model, this work is Forster’s attempt to systematise the fragmented field of natural history studies from the Americas, largely based on specimens he had access to in British collections, particularly those of Joseph Banks (marked ‘B’) and Anna Blackburne (‘Mus. Bl,’). Averil Lysaght has pointed out that the Banks material derives from his important visit to Newfoundland and Labrador in 1766. It was one of the central works in Forster’s concerted push to establish himself in England and successfully brought him to the attention of the British scientific fraternity. The abrupt withdrawal of Joseph Banks in early 1772, left Forster as the obvious candidate.
Forster was assisted by Thomas Pennant in the compiling of this book and Moses Griffth, who was retained by Pennant as his private artist. Mark Catesby (1683-1749) was a major source for the fauna in this work.
The work was conceived as a starting point for future naturalists, providing them with a systematic basis to work from. Its first section contains a brief list of Latin and popular names, arranged by class, along with source of information. Sixty-nine species of mammals are listed, 12 of them being new species not described by Catesby. Apparently, no such catalogue had previously appeared in print.
Importantly, it concludes with Forster’s “Short Directions for Lover and Promoters of Natural History, in What Manner Specimens of All Kinds May Be Collected, Preserved, and Transported to Distant Countries.” These directions give quite an insight into how Forster personally went about his work with Cook, with glimpses of various practices that he helped establish: specimens should be accompanied by detailed field notes, as well as “the name by which the animal goes in his country, or among the various tribes of Indian nations.” Of course, it became a primer for future naturalists in America and beyond at a time when so many of the world’s coastlines were being mapped and vast natural history collections were being amassed and returned to Europe.
Hoare, M.E. (ed.), The Resolution Journal of Johann Reinhold Forster (London, 1999); Lysaght, A.M., Joseph Banks in Newfoundland and Labrador, 1766, (University of California,1971), p.251; Meissel III:350; O’Reilly-Reitman, 2464; Pritzel, 2974 (journal publication only); Sabin, 25133.
