Voyages of Discovery: Three centuries of natural history exploration

London: The Natural History Museum with Scriptum Editions, 2000. Very well illustrated, very large quarto, pp 335, brown cloth very slightly faded, in a very slightly worn dustwrapper which is faded around the spine. [A luxuriously produced work, with stunning large-format illustrations. "Voyage of Discovery is a mesmerising visual record of some of the most significant and beautiful discoveries in the history of natural science explorations. Superb artworks and photographs spanning three centuries document advances and watersheds in the field of natural science. The stories behind these images - of explorers, naturalists, and artists and photographers - entwine in a fascinating study of human achievement and natural wonder. Hand-picked from the vast Library of The Natural History Museum in London, the illustrations and artworks contained here from a rare collection, most of which has never been in the public eye. Highlights include Sir Hans Sloane's voyage to Jamaica in 1687 collecting and recording still-preserved plant specimens, cocoa among them; Maria Sybilla Merian's personal sojourn to Surinam in 1699 to record brilliant butterflies and bizarre insects; Darwin's fateful trip to the Galapagos cataloguing finches and fossils; William Bartrams's fanciful yet detailed documentation of North American wildlife; and Matthew Flinders' mapping of Australia, accompanied by perhaps the greatest of all the natural science artists, Ferdinand Bauer."]. First Edition. Cloth. Very Good/Slightly worn and faded.