'The Handbook of British Birds' - donated by Jane Dawson

Jane Dawson has also kindly donated 'The Handbook of British Birds' a pioneering bird guide by H.F. Witherby, Rev. F.C.R. Jourdain, Norman F. Ticehurst and Bernard W. Tucker, published in five volumes by H. F. & G. Witherby between 1938-1941.


The Handbook, as it was often cited, was itself a much enlarged and revised version of H.F. Witherby's Practical Handbook of British Birds (published between 1919 and 1924 as two volumes in three parts).
Some of the plates were by Marinus Adrianus Koekkoek and were licensed after they were painted for Ornithologia Neerlandica, de vogels van Nederland by Eduard Daniel van Oort (published 1922-1935).

It was this volume of work that was to eventually evolve into the modern standard reference work 'The Birds of the Western Palearctic' for which Malcolm Ogilvie was one of the editorial team for the first six volumes.

Once again, we are very grateful to Jane for this generous donation, a very significant addition to the Trust library.