author
William Swainson
1789–1855
Best known as a gifted illustrator as well as a naturalist, he helped bring 19th-century zoology to a wide audience through vivid books on birds, shells, insects, and other animals. His life carried him from Britain to the Mediterranean, Brazil, and finally New Zealand, where he spent his last years.
6 Audiobooks
Zoological Illustrations, Volume 3 or, Original Figures and Descriptions of New, Rare, or Interesting Animals
by William Swainson
Zoological Illustrations, Second Series, Volume 2 or, Original Figures and Descriptions of New, Rare, or Interesting Animals
by William Swainson
Zoological Illustrations, Second Series, Volume 1 or, Original Figures and Descriptions of New, Rare, or Interesting Animals
by William Swainson
Zoological Illustrations, Second Series, Volume 3 or, Original Figures and Descriptions of New, Rare, or Interesting Animals
by William Swainson
About the author
Born in 1789, William Swainson was an English naturalist, artist, and writer remembered for combining close observation with striking illustration. Sources consistently describe him as an ornithologist and zoological author, and his work ranged widely across birds, shells, insects, fishes, and mammals.
Early in life he developed his skills while serving with the British Army Commissariat in the Mediterranean, and he later traveled in Brazil, where he collected material that fed into his books and scientific work. He became especially well known for richly illustrated natural history publications that brought scientific subjects to general readers as well as specialists.
In 1841 he moved with his family to New Zealand. He lived there for the rest of his life and died in 1855, leaving behind a large body of writing and artwork that reflects both the curiosity and the ambition of 19th-century natural history.