The Book of Animals
For the amusement and instruction of young persons, exemplified by original and select illustrative anecdotes
by T. Bilby
Leavitt and Allen, 1857, New York
CONDITION:
This book is in poor condition. Hardcover. This is an antiquarian book that has had a long journey through time and its age is definitely showing. Please take a look at the pictures to ascertain the condition of this item. The boards are heavily worn along edges and corners with significant signs of shelf wear. Boards are discolored and detached. Spine is missing completely. Hinges cracked. Binding is cocked. The text block is overall legible but heavily foxed. There are some pencil markings on some pages. Some dog-eared pages. Reading copy only.
ATTRIBUTES:
Illustrated edition. Hardcover. No dust jacket. Bound in cloth over boards. This is an antiquarian book that has had a long and illustrious journey through time. Please take a look at the pictures to ascertain the condition of this item.
DESCRIPTION:
The Book of Animals is a classic nineteenth-century work designed to engage young readers through a combination of zoological facts, moral instruction, and entertaining narratives. Centered on the animal kingdom, the text explores the behaviors, traits, and habitats of various domestic and wild creatures, utilizing carefully chosen stories and real-world examples to bring the natural world to life for children. By blending science with accessible storytelling, the book reflects the era's growing pedagogical focus on making learning both pleasant and morally edifying for youth.
The author, Thomas Bilby, was a notable educator and writer of the 19th century who dedicated much of his career to advancing juvenile education and the development of infant schools. His writings frequently sought to bridge structured learning with natural philosophy, ensuring that complex subjects like zoology and animal behavior could be easily understood and appreciated by younger minds. Bilby's works reflect the broader Victorian educational movement that valued observation, kindness toward animals, and structured moral instruction.
From a literary and historical perspective, this volume serves as a fascinating artifact of mid-nineteenth-century children's literature and popular science pedagogy. It illustrates how natural history was communicated to early readers before the advent of modern scientific textbooks, relying heavily on narrative anecdotes to impart factual knowledge. For collectors of antique children's literature, historical natural history, or nineteenth-century pedagogical texts, this book offers a charming window into the educational philosophies and literary aesthetics of the past.
FLASHBACK TO 1857 WHEN THIS BOOK WAS PUBLISHED:
When this book was published in 1857, New York was reeling from the Panic of 1857 while the British Empire faced the harrowing violence of the Indian Rebellion abroad. Amidst this global turmoil, cultural landscapes shifted with the publication of Baudelaire's *Les Fleurs du mal* in Paris and the debut of the Atlantic telegraph cable project, even as educators like T. Bilby pursued their quiet pedagogical work in the rapidly industrializing American metropolis.
Page Count: 200
Location: ABS-1-1-015