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Nature art books

The books are ordered by publication date with the most recent at the top of the page.

Natural History Museum publications pages

Bird related publications
Art Of Nature series
Images Of Nature series
Other nature art books
Books about the museum
Other publications

Also see:

Catalogue Of The Birds In The British Museum (1874-1898)

Catalogue Of Birds' Eggs In The British Museum (1901-12)

Natural History Museum

Flora: The Art of Plant Exploration

Sandra Knapp

2014

(Originally published as Potted Histories: An Artistic Voyage Through Plant Exploration)

"Through exquisite botanical paintings and insightful essays, Flora examines the fascinating history of plants and flowers. Over 20 plant families are profiled, including cacti, daffodils, iris, magnolia, roses, tulips and waterlilies. Flora at the same time tells the remarkable stories of the adventurous botanists who braved disease, slave traders, war, jungles and other dangers to collect plants now commonly grown in our own gardens. It describes how plants have adopted remarkable behaviours for survival in a variety of harsh habitats, and how, throughout history, they have affected our lives, even shaping societies. The seventeenth century spice trade, for example, was so profitable that stevedores who unloaded nutmeg from the boats had to wear coveralls without pockets as a single nutmeg was worth a fortune. The book contains hundreds of stunning colour illustrations selected from the vast collection of original botanical paintings archived at the Natural History Museum."

The Birds of America

John James Audubon

The Natural History Museum

2013

"This is a complete edition of John James Audubon's nineteenth century masterpiece, The Birds of America. To create this hardback edition, the Natural History Museum's own original double elephant size folio was disbound and each of the 435 beautiful hand-coloured prints was specially photographed. The artworks are accompanied by the scientific descriptions that were used in the original The Birds of America and there is also a new introduction by David Allen Sibley, a world-renowned bird artist, ornithologist and author."

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The Birds of America

John James Audubon

2011

"First published in double elephant size (approximately a metre tall) in the first half of the nineteenth century, it is famous for its stunning life-size illustrations of birds set within landscaped backgrounds. The book was issued in parts over eleven years and only around 200 completed sets were ever produced. Less than 120 of these survive today, locked away in museums, galleries and private collections around the world. To create this complete edition of Audubon's masterpiece, each of the 435 beautiful hand-coloured prints was specially photographed from the Natural History Museum's own original edition. The artworks are accompanied by the scientific descriptions that were used in the original Birds of America and there is also a new introduction by world-renowned bird artist, ornithologist and author David Allen Sibley."

Voyages of Discovery: A Visual Celebration of Ten of the Greatest Natural History Expeditions

Tony Rice

Paperback edition

2010

"Voyages of Discovery is a mesmerising visual record of ten of the most significant natural history expeditions. Superb artworks and photographs spanning three centuries document advances and watersheds in the field of natural science. The stories behind these images, of explorers, naturalists, artists and photographers, entwine into a fascinating study of human achievement and natural wonder. Among the many stories of adventure and great scientific endeavour are: Sir Hans Sloane's journey to Jamaica in 1687; James Cook's perilous Pacific crossings; and Darwin's historic voyage aboard HMS Beagle. Hand-picked from the vast Library of the Natural History Museum, London, the illustrations and artworks contained here form a rare collection, most of which are exclusively presented in this stunning book. The Library of the Natural History Museum is a repository for some of the most exciting and comprehensive collections of natural history literature and artworks to be found anywhere in the world."

Art of Nature: Three Centuries of Natural History Art from Around the World

Judith Magee

2009

"Art of Nature is an astonishing visual record of the exploration of parts of the natural world that had never previously been documented. It features many of the greatest natural history artists of the last 300 years - Merian, Bartram, Ehret, the Bauer brothers, Audubon and Gould. Continent by continent Judith Magee draws on the unrivalled collections of the Library of the Natural History Museum to illustrate the development of natural history art through the centuries and its crucial role in furthering people's appreciation of nature all around the world."

Voyages of Discovery: A Visual Celebration of Ten of the Greatest Natural History Expeditions

Tony Rice

Revised edition

2008

"The stories behind these images of explorers, naturalists, artists and photographers entwine into a fascinating study of human achievement and natural wonder. Among the many stories of adventure and great scientific endeavour are: Sir Hans Sloane s journey to Jamaica in 1687; James Cook s perilous Pacific crossings; and Darwin s historic voyage aboard HMS Beagle. Hand-picked from the vast Library of the Natural History Museum, London, the illustrations and artworks contained here form a rare collection, most of which are exclusively presented in this stunning book."

The Art and Science of William Bartram

Judith Magee

2007

"William Bartram's love of nature led him to explore the environs of the American Southeast between 1773 and 1777. Here he collected plants and seeds, kept a journal of his observations of nature, and made drawings of the plants and animals he encountered. The completed drawings were sent to his patron in London, and these make up the bulk of the collection held at London's Natural History Museum. The Art and Science of William Bartram brings together, for the first time, all sixty-eight drawings by Bartram held at the Natural History Museum, along with works by some of the most well-known natural history artists of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The volume explores Bartram's writings and artwork and reveals how influential he was in American science of the period. Bartram was an inspiration to a whole generation of young scientists and field naturalists. He was an authority on the birds of North America and on the lifestyle, culture, and language of the indigenous people of the regions through which he traveled. His work influenced Wordsworth, Coleridge, and other writers and poets throughout the past two hundred years, and his drawings reveal an ecological understanding of nature that only truly developed in the latter half of the nineteenth century."

Birds: The Art of Ornithology

Jonathan Elphick

2004

"This breathtaking collection of important and beautiful ornithological art from London's Natural History Museum traces its development from the Renaissance through the scientific approach favored in the Age of Exploration. Included are brilliantly reproduced artworks by the world's great naturalists and scientists such as Audubon and Humboldt, along with the legion of Victorian explorers who catalogued the world's avifauna before photography finally prevailed as the primary means of recording the natural world. The lively and informative text tells how ornithological art grew out of the naturalistic tradition of European painting to become a genre of its own where the artist's focus on aesthetics was married to the scientist's need for precision and detail. Weaving together science, art history, biography, and travel, it paints a wondrous picture of a bygone world of artist-scientists, exotic birds, and faraway lands, making it truly the perfect gift for anyone who loves vintage prints and drawings or has an interest in nature or birding."

Images From Nature

1998

Drawings and Paintings from the Library of The Natural History Museum.

Owls

John Gould, Edward Lear, Archibald Thorburn, John James Audubon and Alexander Wilson

1991

A selection of illustrations of owls by five of the most famous bird artists from the archive of the Natural History Museum in London. The artists represented are John Gould, Edward Lear, Alexander Wilson, John James Audubon and Archibald Thorburn.

Ducks

John Gould, Alexander Wilson and J.J. Audubon

Natural History Museum Library / Wordsworth Editions

1991

A selection of illustrations of ducks by three of the most famous bird artists from the archive of the Natural History Museum in London. The artists represented are John Gould, Alexander Wilson and John James Audubon.

John Gould's Hummingbirds

John Gould

1990

Reprint of all the plates from the complete 5 volume work by Gould originally issued between 1849 and 1861 plus the supplement to that work from the 1880s. Includes 418 full page, full colour plates by Gould and others."