author
James Edmund Harting
1841–1928
An English ornithologist and naturalist, he wrote widely about birds, wildlife, and country life, helping bring Victorian natural history to a broad readership. His books and magazine work made him a familiar name to readers interested in both science and field observation.
2 Audiobooks
The Ornithology of Shakespeare Critically examined, explained and illustrated
by James Edmund Harting
About the author
Born in Chelsea in 1841, James Edmund Harting became an English ornithologist and naturalist known for a long career in writing and editing. He was educated at Downside and the University of London, and although he trained in law and worked as a solicitor for a time, natural history became the work for which he was best remembered.
Harting wrote numerous books and journal articles, especially on birds, game, and British wildlife. He also edited important natural history periodicals, including The Zoologist, and served the Linnean Society as librarian and assistant secretary. His writing had a practical, observant quality that connected scientific interest with field sports and everyday encounters with the natural world.
He died in 1928, leaving behind a large body of work that reflects the energy of 19th- and early 20th-century natural history. For readers today, his books offer both careful observation and a glimpse of how birds and wild places were described in his time.