Edward Donovan

Edward Donovan (1768 – 1 February 1837) was an Anglo-Irish writer, natural history illustrator, and amateur zoologist.

Almost nothing is known about Donovan's family background, education or early life, although he is known to have been born in Cork, Ireland, and was originally surnamed O'Donovan.

[1][2] His health declined in later years and he died penniless at his home in John Street in 1837 leaving a large family destitute.

According to the catalogues and contemporary reviews, this exhibited several hundred cases of world birds, mammals, reptiles, fish, molluscs, insects, corals and other invertebrates and botanical specimens and other exotica alongside his British collections.

He also wrote articles on conchology, entomology, etc., made drawings and arranged the natural history plates in Rees's Cyclopædia and undertook commissions for private albums of his botanical artwork.

A surviving, heavily annotated complete first edition, proof set comprises 840 individual species illustrated within 636 hand coloured large octavo copper plate engravings.

Earlier volumes were written in English but the later ones were partly in Latin as Donovan became more knowledgeable and perhaps to appeal to a more specialist, but international, readership.

Evidence includes that his successful nomination for election as a Fellow of the Linnean Society in 1799 was supported by six members (Alexander Macleay, James Sowerby, William Lewis, Thomas Marsham, George Milne and Frederick Kanmacher), rather than the more usual three.

In the preface Donovan writes "There is perhaps, no extent of country in the world, that can boast a more copious or diversified assemblage of interesting objects in every department of natural history than New Holland and its contiguous island".

In the works of Johan Christian Fabricius on which the Epitome was based "Indiis" confusingly refers to the West Indies or northern South America.

[2] Donovan's expensive purchases, his dealings with (according to him) his unscrupulous book seller Rivingtons of St Paul's Churchyard (after many previous years on good terms),[2] and the economic decline in England after the Napoleonic Wars, always made his financial position precarious.

He promoted the views of science, the extension of knowledge and the arts, and strictly observed the fulfilment of every duty that society could demand.