Publisher/Manufacturer: Gwasg Gregynog (Gregynog Press) Series title: The Natural History of Selborne
1930-1935 Wood engraving in black on white laid paper
220 x 146 mm. Purchase: Gwasg Gregynog / Gregynog Press 1988 Funding support: Catherine Lewis Trust
Number 4 of an edition of 20. The blocks for these illustrations were engraved in the early 1930s for Gilbert White's 'The Natural History of Selborne' but were not printed until 1988. Gilbert White's 'The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne' was first published in 1798. Gilbert White was fascinated by the tortoise's hibernation; his book mentions his pet tortoise, Timothy, more than any other animal. The snake looks as though it may be chasing the tortoise
Book illustration for Gilbert White's 'Selborne'. Stylised wood engraving. In the upper half is a snake with open jaws revealing a forked tongue and fangs. In the lower half is a tortoise with a shell and claws. The image is surrounded by a patterned border with leaves on the left extending into the image. Paper has the watermark '+N'[?], a monogram
