The Birds of the Malay Peninsula
Encyclopedia
The Birds of the Malay Peninsula is a major illustrated ornithological reference work conceived and started by Herbert Christopher Robinson
. The full title is The Birds of the Malay Peninsula: a general account of the birds inhabiting the region from the isthmus of Kra to Singapore with the adjacent islands. It comprises five substantial (large octavo
) hardbound volumes of text, with 125 plates (123 in colour) by Henrik Grönvold
and 11 maps. It was published by H. F. and G. Witherby, London. The binding of the first four volumes was red buckram
; the fifth was red cloth with a dust jacket.
in the early 20th century. On his retirement in 1926 he initiated the production of the work, though he died in 1929 after the first two volumes were published. With the help of Robinson's notes and papers, the third and fourth volumes were prepared by Frederick Chasen
, the Director of the Raffles Museum in Singapore
. Completion was much delayed, first by Robinson's death, and then by Chasen's early in 1942. The fifth and final volume, by Lord Medway and David Wells, was eventually published in 1976, in a review of which D.G. Robertson says:
The complete set contains:
Herbert Christopher Robinson
Herbert Christopher Robinson was a British zoologist and ornithologist. He is principally known for conceiving and initiating the major ornithological reference The Birds of the Malay Peninsula....
. The full title is The Birds of the Malay Peninsula: a general account of the birds inhabiting the region from the isthmus of Kra to Singapore with the adjacent islands. It comprises five substantial (large octavo
Octavo (book)
Octavo is a technical term describing the format of a book, which refers to the size of leaves produced from folding a full sheet of paper on which multiple pages of text were printed to form the individual sections of a book...
) hardbound volumes of text, with 125 plates (123 in colour) by Henrik Grönvold
Henrik Grönvold
Henrik Grönvold was a Danish bird illustrator.Grönvold developed an interest in natural history at a young age, and would spend his time drawing the birds and animals around him. After studying drawing in Copenhagen he went on to work as a draughtsman for the Danish artillery from 1880.Grönvold...
and 11 maps. It was published by H. F. and G. Witherby, London. The binding of the first four volumes was red buckram
Buckram
Buckram is a stiff cloth, made of cotton, and still occasionally linen, which is used to cover and protect books. Buckram can also be used to stiffen clothes. Modern buckrams have been stiffened by soaking in a substance, usually now pyroxylin, to fill the gaps between the fibres.In the Middle...
; the fifth was red cloth with a dust jacket.
History
Robinson served as Director of Museums in the Federated Malay StatesFederated Malay States
The Federated Malay States was a federation of four protected states in the Malay Peninsula—Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang—established by the British government in 1895, which lasted until 1946, when they, together with the Straits Settlements and the Unfederated Malay...
in the early 20th century. On his retirement in 1926 he initiated the production of the work, though he died in 1929 after the first two volumes were published. With the help of Robinson's notes and papers, the third and fourth volumes were prepared by Frederick Chasen
Frederick Nutter Chasen
Frederick Nutter Chasen was an English zoologist.Chasen was appointed Assistant Curator of the Raffles Museum in Singapore in 1921, and Director in 1932 in succession to Cecil Boden Kloss. He was an authority on Southeast Asian birds and mammals. He prepared the third and fourth volumes of...
, the Director of the Raffles Museum in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. Completion was much delayed, first by Robinson's death, and then by Chasen's early in 1942. The fifth and final volume, by Lord Medway and David Wells, was eventually published in 1976, in a review of which D.G. Robertson says:
"After the war E. BanksEdward BanksEdward H. Banks was a British administrator, amateur naturalist and museum curator.-Life:Banks was born in Newport, Wales. He studied at Oxford University....
, former Curator of the Sarawak Museum, wrote a replacement text and deposited it in the British Museum (Natural History)Natural History MuseumThe Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
. In 1964, Ken Scriven, a long-time resident of Malaysia, was in London and quite by
chance discovered not only Banks's text but also the coloured plates by H. Gronvold. He informed Lord Medway and David Wells who in turn decided to complete the series. Witherby, publisher of Volumes I to IV, agreed to produce Volume V using typesetting, paper and layout identical with the previous volumes and in 1976 the task was completed, almost fifty years after its inception. The authors have revised and updated Banks's text and, because Volumes I to IV are almost priceless, have amended Chasen's original intentions so that Volume V can stand on its own."
The complete set contains:
- Robinson, H.C. (1927). The Birds of the Malay Peninsula. Vol.I: The Commoner Birds. Witherby: London. pp.329.
- Robinson, H.C. (1928). The Birds of the Malay Peninsula. Vol.II: The Birds of the Hill Stations. Witherby: London. pp.xxii, 310.
- Robinson, H.C.; & Chasen, F.N. (1936). The Birds of the Malay Peninsula. Vol.III: Sporting Birds: Birds of the Shore and Estuaries. Witherby: London. pp.xxi, 264.
- Robinson, H.C.; & Chasen, F.N. (1939). The Birds of the Malay Peninsula. Vol.IV: The Birds of the Low-Country Jungle and Scrub. Witherby: London. pp.xxvi, 487.
- Medway, Lord; & Wells, David R. (1976). The Birds of the Malay Peninsula. Vol.V: Conclusion, and Survey of Every Species. Witherby: London. pp.xxxi, 448. ISBN 085493104X