Thomas Bewick, Quadrupeds

Thomas Bewick (1753–1828).
A General History of Quadrupeds. The Figures Engraved on Wood by T. Bewick. Third edition.
Newcastle upon Tyne: Printed by and for S. Hodgson, R. Beilby, & T. Bewick, Newcastle; sold by them, by G. G. J. & J. Robinson, & C. Dilly, London, 1792. (BRA0854)

Bewick was one of the most skilled and popular English illustrators of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The Quadrupeds, a text compiled by the naturalist Ralph Beilby, is an early example of Bewick’s artistry with the engraved boxwood block. First published in 1790, the book contains 289 descriptions, 212 wood engravings, and 107 vignettes, tailpieces, and ornamental designs.