The boy born in Lyme Regis in humble circumstances would embark on a career of profound significance to ornithology and science generally, and would achieve enduring renown in the Antipodes as the "father of Australian ornithology." — Roslyn Russell, p.8.
He was one of the foremost collectors of the world; a first-rate taxidermist and taxonomist; one of the finest publishers in London; and an accomplished, if sometimes unscrupulous businessman. The ornithologist's most fundamental wish, however — a wish that was both modest and characteristically ambitious — was to be remembered simply for his love of birds. — Isabella Tree, p. 220.
Biographical Material
- John Gould (1804-1881): A Brief Life
- Works
- John Gould and Darwinism
- The Ruling Passion (a painting by Millais, inspired by a visit to Gould)
Discussion of sample entries
- Garrulus Bispecularis, Asian jay, in A Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains, 1831
- Falco peregrinus, Peregrine Falcon, in Birds of Europe, 1837
- Cacatua Leadbeateri, pink Cockatoo, in Birds of Australia, 1840
- Docimastes Ensiferus, Sword-bill, in A Monograph of the Trochilidae or Family of Humming-birds, 1861
- Bubo Maximus, Eagle Owl, in The Birds of Great Britain, 1873
Literary relations and other contextual material
- Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution and the Intellectual Ferment of the Mid- and Late Victorian Periods
- Francis Orpen Morris (1810-1893), Ornithologist
Bibliography
Bettany, G. T. Dictionary of National Biography, Vol. VIII, Glover - Harriot. Ed. Leslie Stephen and Sidney Lee. New York: Macmillan / London: Smith, Elder, 1908: 287-88. Internet Archive, contributed by the University of California Libraries. Web. 3 April 2019.
Gould, John. Birds of Asia. Internet Archive. Contributed by Smithsonian Libraries. Web. 3 April 2019.
_____. Birds of Australia Vol V. London: Gould, 1848. Internet Archive. Contributed by Smithsonian Libraries. Web. 3 April 2019.
_____. The Birds of Europe. Vol. I, Raptores. Internet Archive. Contributed by Smithsonian Libraries. Web. 3 April 2019.
_____. The Birds of Great Britain Vol. 1.. London: Gould, 1873. Internet Archive. Contributed by Smithsonian Libraries. Web. 3 April 2019.
_____. A Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains. London: Gould, 1831. Internet Archive. Contributed by Smithsonian Libraries. Web. 3 April 2019.
_____. A Monograph of the Trochilidae or Family of Humming-birds, Vol. 4. Internet Archive. Contributed by Smithsonian Libraries. Web. 3 April 2019.
Pascoe, Judith. The Hummingbird Cabinet: A Rare and Curious History of Romantic Collectors. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2006.
Ruskin, John. Love's Meinie: Three lectures on Greek and English Birds. Project Gutenberg. Web. 3 April 2019.
_____. Works, Vol XXXIV. Eds. E. T. Cook amd Alexander Wedderburn. London: George Allen, 1890. Internet Archive. Contributed by the Digital Library of India. Web. 3 April 2019.
Russell, Roslyn. The Business of Nature: John Gould and Australia. Canberra: National Library of Australia. 2011.
Sauer, Gordon C. "Gould, John (1804–1881), ornithologist and publisher." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Online ed. Web. 3 April 2019.
Smith, Jonathan. Charles Darwin and Victorian Visual Culture. Pbk ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009. See Ch. 3, "Darwin's Birds," on Gould, Darwin and Ruskin.
Tree, Isabella. The Ruling Passion of John Gould. New York: Grove Weidenfeld, 1991.
Created 4 April 2019; last modified 8 September 2023