Sheppard, Thomas — Yorkshire's Contribution to Science

A. Brown & Sons London 233, b/w illus. . HB. 8vo, orig cloth. Ex-lib.: label to front board of The Leeds Institute of Science, Art and Literature and a few stamps. Owner's bookplate.. With a bibliography of Natural History Publications. Thomas Sheppard (1876-1945) was a distinguished museum curator and dedicated amateur geologist who played a pivotal role in founding several museums in Kingston upon Hull and across the East Riding of Yorkshire. A contemporary review in <i>Nature </i>(Vol. 97, 1916) described the present work as ‘A guide to all sources of information likely to be of service to students of the natural history of Yorkshire.’ The reviewer further remarked that ‘many workers in biological and geological science will be grateful to Mr. Sheppard for the particulars he has brought together about Yorkshire periodical publications dealing with natural history, scientific magazines now extinct, and general topographical journals.’Provenance: Bookplate of James Digby Firth, F.S.A. (1877-1968), a respected educator who taught at Leeds Modern School until his retirement in 1938. A pioneer in introducing nature study to secondary education, he was affectionately known as ‘Bug Willie.’ Firth’s interests were wide-ranging; Professor Le Patourel noted that he had been ‘president, vice-president and fellow of more learned societies than I can conveniently name: numismatics, conchology, philately, archaeology, natural history and local history.’The bookplate is the work of American artist Frederick Garrison Hall (1879-1946), noted for his finely executed and elegant engraved designs..