The Naturalist on the River Amazons,: a Record of Adventures, Habits of Animals, Sketches of Brazilian and Indian Life, and Aspects of Nature Under the Equator, During Eleven Years of Travel.

London: John Murray, , 1863. A landmark work of natural history exploration First edition, with the publisher's presentation blind stamp to the title page of volume I. Bates's narrative of his travels in South America is"one of the finest scientific travel books of the 19th century" (DSB). Darwin described it as "the best work of natural history travels ever published in England" (Life and Letters, p. 381). Bates travelled with his friend and colleague Alfred Russel Wallace through the Amazon basin for two years, 1848-9, and remained behind when Wallace returned to England; he eventually stayed for 11 years in all. Bates supported his own entomological collecting interests by supplying specimens for public and private collections, sending approximately 14,700 species back to England, 8,000 of them new to science. He was encouraged to write his account by Darwin, with whom he frequently corresponded, and who recommended Bates to his own publisher, John Murray. The resulting work became "a major contribution to the knowledge and literature of Amazonia" and "an immediate success and travel classic" (ODNB), selling successfully throughout the 19th century and being translated into numerous languages. Jointly a personal diary, account of the region, guide to the customs of its inhabitants, and detailed analysis of native fauna, The Naturalist on the River Amazons "provides a fascinating record of the natural environment and wildlife of Amazonia before the major impact of the rubber boom... The book's enduring appeal lies in its elegant yet scientific pen-portraits of places, people, and wildlife" (ibid.). The wood engravings, particularly the frontispiece in volume I, are beautifully rendered from drawings by several leading natural history illustrators. Two volumes, octavo (194 x 125 mm). Contemporary green half calf, spine with five raised bands separating compartments tooled with floral motifs and ruled in gilt, green cloth sides, gilt supralibros to covers, likely of the Hamond family of West Acre, Norfolk, red marbled endpapers, top edges gilt, purple silk bookmarkers. Wood-engraved frontispiece in each volume, 7 plates, folding map of the Amazons at rear of vol. I, title-page vignettes, 33 illustrations within text after E. W. Robinson, Joseph Wolf, Josiah Wood Whymper, and Johann Baptist Zwecker. Armorial bookplates on front pastedowns, probably of Philip Hamond (1813-1886); a handful of neat pencil annotations to contents. A touch of wear to extremities, particularly at corners and head of joints, gilt bright, bookmarker laid into vol. II, endleaves a little foxed, small stain to folding plate: a very good copy. Borba de Moraes, p. 91; Sabin 3932a; Troelstra, Natural History Travel Narratives, pp. 55-56. Francis Darwin, ed., The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin, 1887