Folio Archives 70: Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne by Gilbert White 1994 & 2009
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1wcarter
Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne by Gilbert White 1994 & 2009
The Folio Society has published two very different editions of Gilbert White’s Natural History of Selborne. An exquisite small volume that included White’s Antiquities in 1994, and a huge fine edition in 2009.
In 1789, Gilbert White was a country parson in the small village of Selborne, Hampshire, who closely observed the activities, comings and goings of wildlife (birds, insects and animals) in his parish. He described these in a series of letters to confidants (naturalists Daines Barrington and Thomas Pennant) , and these letters were retained, collected and published in 1789 as the first significant natural history of England.
By studying the wildlife in its native habitat, rather than in a laboratory, White became a true field biologist, and his studies are now important as modern biologists assess the effects of climate change on English fauna. He identified several new species from mice to bats, and discovered the life-cycle of the earthworm and its beneficial effects on the soil.
He assesses the changes of seasons and weather on his pet tortoise, and noted the intelligence and learning ability of rooks. He was the perfect guide to the world around him over 200 years ago.
Comparative sizes of the two editions.
- 
2009 Folio Society Fine edition
This is a large imposing volume of 379 pages that has been beautifully produced with 70 pages of colour illustrations, including 12 watercolour views of Selborne by Heironymous Grimm and wildlife illustrations by Peter Mazell from Thomas Pennat’s 1766 edition of British Zoology. Both the index from the original 1789 edition, and more comprehensive modern index to this edition, are present.
There is an introduction by Sir Keith Thomas, and two extra essays by White - one on his pet tortoise Timothy, and the other on the Sense of Hearing in Fishes, showing White’s extraordinary depths and variety of interests.
The dark brown slipcase is 34x26cm. and has a gilt cover title. The book is ¾ bound in brown buckram with a design printed green paper front cover by Neil Gower. The top of the page block is gilded, and there is a dark brown page marker ribbon. It was an expensive edition, and the release price was £100, although this was discounted later, as is common with the FS.
This edition does NOT include White’s letters on Antiquities.
Slipcase cover
1994 Folio Society edition
This delightful small book, as well as covering all the natural history described above, also includes White’s observations on Antiquities. These were the findings of himself and his parishioners as amateur archaeologists in finding everything from Roman coins to Saxon pottery, a history of his church and the village, and the curiosities that could be found therein.
There are few illustrations in the 384 page book, but those present are engravings by Chris Worell that are scattered throughout the book. The slipcase is a plain dark brown, 21x14.8cm., and the page tops are stained brown. It is quarter bound in dark green buckram with a spine title in gilt over brown.
The best features of the book are the beautiful hand marbled covers by Ann Muir. This means that every copy is different as the marbling is individual to each book. As far as I can tell, all have a mid green background, with marbled features in maroon, violet and black. Others may wish to post pictures of their editions in this thread.
This book is one of the Rural Britain Hand-Marbled series of similarly deigned books that also included :-
- Memoirs of a Georgian Rake by William Hickey
- Our Village by Mary Russell Mitford
- Rides Around Britain by John Byng
- The Diary of a Country Parson
- The Diary of a Village Shopkeeper by Thomas Turner (Previously reviewed here).
The covers of the four editions that I own (I am sure to obtain the two I am missing in due course) are below.
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
The Folio Society has published two very different editions of Gilbert White’s Natural History of Selborne. An exquisite small volume that included White’s Antiquities in 1994, and a huge fine edition in 2009.
In 1789, Gilbert White was a country parson in the small village of Selborne, Hampshire, who closely observed the activities, comings and goings of wildlife (birds, insects and animals) in his parish. He described these in a series of letters to confidants (naturalists Daines Barrington and Thomas Pennant) , and these letters were retained, collected and published in 1789 as the first significant natural history of England.
By studying the wildlife in its native habitat, rather than in a laboratory, White became a true field biologist, and his studies are now important as modern biologists assess the effects of climate change on English fauna. He identified several new species from mice to bats, and discovered the life-cycle of the earthworm and its beneficial effects on the soil.
He assesses the changes of seasons and weather on his pet tortoise, and noted the intelligence and learning ability of rooks. He was the perfect guide to the world around him over 200 years ago.
Comparative sizes of the two editions.
- 
2009 Folio Society Fine edition
This is a large imposing volume of 379 pages that has been beautifully produced with 70 pages of colour illustrations, including 12 watercolour views of Selborne by Heironymous Grimm and wildlife illustrations by Peter Mazell from Thomas Pennat’s 1766 edition of British Zoology. Both the index from the original 1789 edition, and more comprehensive modern index to this edition, are present.
There is an introduction by Sir Keith Thomas, and two extra essays by White - one on his pet tortoise Timothy, and the other on the Sense of Hearing in Fishes, showing White’s extraordinary depths and variety of interests.
The dark brown slipcase is 34x26cm. and has a gilt cover title. The book is ¾ bound in brown buckram with a design printed green paper front cover by Neil Gower. The top of the page block is gilded, and there is a dark brown page marker ribbon. It was an expensive edition, and the release price was £100, although this was discounted later, as is common with the FS.
This edition does NOT include White’s letters on Antiquities.
Slipcase cover
1994 Folio Society edition
This delightful small book, as well as covering all the natural history described above, also includes White’s observations on Antiquities. These were the findings of himself and his parishioners as amateur archaeologists in finding everything from Roman coins to Saxon pottery, a history of his church and the village, and the curiosities that could be found therein.
There are few illustrations in the 384 page book, but those present are engravings by Chris Worell that are scattered throughout the book. The slipcase is a plain dark brown, 21x14.8cm., and the page tops are stained brown. It is quarter bound in dark green buckram with a spine title in gilt over brown.
The best features of the book are the beautiful hand marbled covers by Ann Muir. This means that every copy is different as the marbling is individual to each book. As far as I can tell, all have a mid green background, with marbled features in maroon, violet and black. Others may wish to post pictures of their editions in this thread.
This book is one of the Rural Britain Hand-Marbled series of similarly deigned books that also included :-
- Memoirs of a Georgian Rake by William Hickey
- Our Village by Mary Russell Mitford
- Rides Around Britain by John Byng
- The Diary of a Country Parson
- The Diary of a Village Shopkeeper by Thomas Turner (Previously reviewed here).
The covers of the four editions that I own (I am sure to obtain the two I am missing in due course) are below.
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
2folio_books
>1 wcarter: The Folio Society has published two very different editions of Gilbert White’s Natural History of Selborne. An exquisite small volume that included White’s Antiquities in 1994, and a huge fine edition in 2009.
You missed one, Warwick. The first Folio Society edition was published in 1962 (no. 172 in Folio 60). They made a pretty good job of it. In my opinion it's superior to the 1994 edition but neither offer competition to the 2009 fine edition, which is simply superb.
You missed one, Warwick. The first Folio Society edition was published in 1962 (no. 172 in Folio 60). They made a pretty good job of it. In my opinion it's superior to the 1994 edition but neither offer competition to the 2009 fine edition, which is simply superb.
3wcarter
>2 folio_books:
Glenn, do you have pics of the 1962 edition that you can post here?
Glenn, do you have pics of the 1962 edition that you can post here?
4Willoyd
>2 folio_books:
The first Folio Society edition was published in 1962 (no. 172 in Folio 60). They made a pretty good job of it. In my opinion it's superior to the 1994 edition but neither offer competition to the 2009 fine edition, which is simply superb.
Each to his own. Until recently, I had all three, and my favourite remains the little 1994 edition. I think it's because it's most evocative (for me at least) of what an eighteenth century book of letters should actually look like, and I love the simplicity. The 2009 edition is magnificent, but it's too big for my taste and lacks the feeling of the smaller edition. I do like the maps and views of Selborne though - just wish the dimensions were half-twothirds the size. The 1962 edition is a good one, it just felt the wrong style of presentation for me - it looks like a book from the 1960s. Of the three, forced to keep just one, I'd go for the 1994 edition, and am seriously contemplating doing just that.
Little Toller do a nice (if paperback) edition, with Eric Ravilious illustrations. One of the few books I'd be prepared to spend a lot of money on would be a copy of the original Nonesuch edition. (Just wish the FS had done the White with Ravilious illustrations, although like Chris Wormell's illustrations).
The first Folio Society edition was published in 1962 (no. 172 in Folio 60). They made a pretty good job of it. In my opinion it's superior to the 1994 edition but neither offer competition to the 2009 fine edition, which is simply superb.
Each to his own. Until recently, I had all three, and my favourite remains the little 1994 edition. I think it's because it's most evocative (for me at least) of what an eighteenth century book of letters should actually look like, and I love the simplicity. The 2009 edition is magnificent, but it's too big for my taste and lacks the feeling of the smaller edition. I do like the maps and views of Selborne though - just wish the dimensions were half-twothirds the size. The 1962 edition is a good one, it just felt the wrong style of presentation for me - it looks like a book from the 1960s. Of the three, forced to keep just one, I'd go for the 1994 edition, and am seriously contemplating doing just that.
Little Toller do a nice (if paperback) edition, with Eric Ravilious illustrations. One of the few books I'd be prepared to spend a lot of money on would be a copy of the original Nonesuch edition. (Just wish the FS had done the White with Ravilious illustrations, although like Chris Wormell's illustrations).
5folio_books
>3 wcarter: do you have pics of the 1962 edition that you can post here?
Sorry, unable to oblige. I sold the 1962 and 1994 editions after I acquired the 2009, shelf space being at a premium. It's featured in the 1962 Prospectus, though, on the FSD Wiki page (https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/Groups:Folio_Society_Devotees) and I've seen pictures on the web.
Sorry, unable to oblige. I sold the 1962 and 1994 editions after I acquired the 2009, shelf space being at a premium. It's featured in the 1962 Prospectus, though, on the FSD Wiki page (https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/Groups:Folio_Society_Devotees) and I've seen pictures on the web.
6Chawton
Gilbert White was a curate at Selborne and not its Parson.
The Rector of the parish would have been a non-resident fellow of the Oxford College that owned the living.
The Rector of the parish would have been a non-resident fellow of the Oxford College that owned the living.
7UK_History_Fan
Curate, rector, vicar, parson...
For those of us not raised Anglican can you please explain the differences?
For those of us not raised Anglican can you please explain the differences?
8Jayked
Most parishes were in the gift of one of the Oxford colleges, and were awarded to that college's graduates, who could own more than one. As rector or parson of that living, you were entitled to receive tithes from parishioners. You were also liable for the upkeep of the chancel, the part of the building which was the C of E's responsibility. The nave belonged to the parishioners. If you couldn't or didn't want to live there or conduct services, you appointed someone to do it for you at a salary -- a vicar, or perpetual curate. "Curate" implies the care of souls, and can include a priest with a parish, but is most commonly used for a parish priest's assistant, a priest in training. These days the titles are used more or less indiscriminately, depending on the history of the parish. I believe "perpetual curate" has been dropped by the church.
White was born in the vicarage/parsonage (building) and inherited it from his father, who owned the land. He chose to go to Oriel college rather than Magdalen, which owned the living, so he could never be rector. He chose to stay there as salaried, even though he was offered more prestigious positions elsewhere.
White was born in the vicarage/parsonage (building) and inherited it from his father, who owned the land. He chose to go to Oriel college rather than Magdalen, which owned the living, so he could never be rector. He chose to stay there as salaried, even though he was offered more prestigious positions elsewhere.
9LolaWalser
As it happens, the 1962 edition is the only one I currently own. Much as I liked the illustrations in the giant most recent version, I thought the edition was all wrong overall and donated it to the library. I've seen a couple of the 1994 versions and I agree that the binding is lovely, although I remember wishing it had been waxed or something, IIRC the paper felt rough (a pleasant paper-y sensation of course, but I felt extra care would be necessary to prevent soiling.)
I'm afraid the automatic resizing on upload to LT rendered my pics even worse, but to give you some idea of the book (I didn't bother taking pictures of the ordinary olive-green slipcase):
A couple more can be seen in my Junk Drawer.
I'm afraid the automatic resizing on upload to LT rendered my pics even worse, but to give you some idea of the book (I didn't bother taking pictures of the ordinary olive-green slipcase):
A couple more can be seen in my Junk Drawer.
10UK_History_Fan
>8 Jayked: that was very helpful, thank you
11laotzu225
>1 wcarter: >8 Jayked:
A late thank you to Dr Carter. I've just bought the LEC version and I wanted to see what Folio had done. A peek at an eBay listing on the 2009 almost convinced me this was an LE about which some casual seller was unaware. Certainly is a fine edition!
Jayked, thank you for explicating an obscure matter for us Americans.
A late thank you to Dr Carter. I've just bought the LEC version and I wanted to see what Folio had done. A peek at an eBay listing on the 2009 almost convinced me this was an LE about which some casual seller was unaware. Certainly is a fine edition!
Jayked, thank you for explicating an obscure matter for us Americans.
