Thomas Gray’s Naturalist’s Journal 1767-1771 is dedicated and presented to members of the Roxburghe Club by the Honourable Robert Lloyd George.
The poet and literary scholar Thomas Gray (1716-1771) was also, in his later years, a keen natural historian and for many years he would record his observations in part-printed pocket-books. However, from January 1767 until May 1771, three months before his death on 30 July, he was able to enter up his notes into copies of a more substantial oblong folio pre-printed publication, The Naturalist’s Journal created by the naturalist Daines Barrington. Each page contained printed tables with blank spaces for the date, place, time, aspects of the weather, and observations on the flowering or first appearances of trees and fungi, plants and mosses, birds and insects, fish and other animals, and miscellaneous observations. These spaces could then be completed by hand with any relevant information, as they were by Thomas Gray, albeit selectively rather than comprehensively.
Gray’s annotated copies of The Naturalist’s Journal are now in the possession of Robert Lloyd George. For this publication Dr Ruth Abbott of St John’s College, Cambridge, has selected sections of the Journals, each of which is introduced by an explanation of its contents and context.
The selections comprise : 1-24 January 1767 [Cambridge], 14 June-12 September 1767 [Tour to Yorkshire], 27 December 1767 - 13 February 1768 [Cambridge], 14 February - 12 March 1768 [Cambridge], 29 May - 3 September 1768 [Tour of Kent], 11 September - 8 October 1768 [Tour of Suffolk & Norfolk], 28 May - 1 July 1769 [Cambridge], 16 July - 28 October 1769 [Tour to the Lake District & Lancashire, 5 - 25 November 1769 [Cambridge], 1 July - 4 August 1770 [Tour to the Welsh Borders], 1 October - 24 November 1770 [Cambridge], 16 December 1770 - 16 February 1771 [Cambridge & London], 21 April - 18 May 1771 [Cambridge].
The eighteen illustrations include reproductions of four portraits of Gray, an engraved portrait of Horace Walpole, watercolour views of Windsor Castle and Chepstow Castle by Paul Sandby, Guido Reni’s drawing for the ‘Tanari Madonna’, a watercolour of Yarmouth by Thomas Hearne and a watercolour Thirlmere by Francis Towne. There is a folding map of England & Wales by Rachel Glenn charting Gray’s travels from 1767-1771.
Designed by Humphrey Stone. Typeset in Baskerville. Endpapers by Compton Marbling. Printed by Gomer Press, Wales. Bound by Ludlow Bookbinders.
ISBN 978-I-901902-17-4 (Thomas Gray’s Naturalist’s Journal). £170
Also available: Thomas Gray’s Commonplace Book edited by Ruth Abbott (2024) - ISBN 978-I-901902-18-1 - £260
Available as a set: (Thomas Gray’s Naturalist’s Journal and Thomas Gray’s Commonplace Book) - ISBN 978-1-901902-16-7 - £400
Please note that due to the large size postage will be quoted separately for all orders including internet orders and in the latter case may be at a higher rate than the automatic calculator.
