John Gould (1804–1881). A Monograph of the Trogonidae, or Family of Trogons. London: Taylor and Francis, 1875. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (160.01.02)
Gould’s Birds of South America
John Gould, regarded by many as the greatest bird artist and publisher in Britain, produced fifteen folio sets during his career. The book on view is dedicated to a tropical bird called the “trogon.” In his preface to the book, Gould wrote: “If not strictly elegant in form, the Trogons in the brilliancy of their plumage are surpassed only by the Trochilidae [toucans]: their splendour amply compensates for every other defect.” The illustrations for this work are some of the most magnificent that the ornithologist produced.