The position of S.W.Jackson in the history of Australiann ornithology is assures. His important egg collection assembled over many years and absorbed by larger H.L.White collection, his pioneering collecting trips with their subsequent accounts in the literature of the day, particularly his articles for the premier Australian ornithological journal The Emu , are well known to those with an interest in Australian birds. What is not so well known, or appreciated, is Jackson's skill as a photographer. Between 1891 and 1932 Jackson went on numerous filed trips and took many marvellous photographs. His work was often conducted under the most difficult conditions and, remarkably, the development of the glass plates was done in the field. He was a complex and talented man whose potential was surely realised by his emplyer, and great patron of Australian ornithology, H.L. White of Belltrees, Scone.
Judy White's book brings together through Jackson's photographs and Judy's text, the strands of Jackson's life. It also tells a wider story, that of the role of the amateur naturalist in shaping the scientific thought of this country. This handsome book will appeal to anybody interestd in Australian natural history and is a fitting tribute to Jackson. Andrew Isles
Size 285mmx245mm, 102 b&w plates (from glass plate negatives), 136pp
