Visiting the complex bibliography of The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Erebus and Terror, 1839-1843

Abstract

Abstract Deciphering the bibliographical details of The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Erebus and Terror, 1839-1843 has long been problematic owing to production of the Zoology in 24 parts over a 31-year time span (1844−1875), two publication periods (1844−1848, 1874−1875) each with a different publisher, non-consecutive issuance of text pages and plates, non-uniform plate numbering, ambiguities in publication dates and publisher imprints, conflicting bibliographical information in previous reports, and perhaps most of all the extreme rarity of parts still in their original state. The present report, based on what appears to be the most thorough examination of parts and reissues in original state to date, closes numerous knowledge gaps.