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William Byrd II and His Lost History: Engravings of the Americas

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A handsome book from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation: navy cloth over hardback boards with gold details and a sewn binding. With dustjacket.

192 pp. 69 b&w illustrations. Footnotes. Appendix. Index.

An 18th century copperplate illustration, discovered in Oxford in 1929, was used to guide the restoration and reconstruction of several Williamsburg buildings. This information was appreciated but a discovery was made when more copperplates which came to light in 1986 were linked to the 1929 Oxford copperplate.

This book pieces together the mystery of when, how, and why these copperplates were made. The authors link these illustrations to texts written (and to texts now lost) by one of the most prominent Virginians of this period, William Byrd II. Byrd (1674-1744) was a prominent plantation-owner, author, romantic scoundrel, and politician who is generally seen as the founder of the city of Richmond.

These images are of great diversity and shed light on the whole swath of the early American experience. Maps, portraits, elevations of buildings, city plans, panoramic views of cities, botanical drawings, drawings of animals, and more are woven into this book with skill by the authors. The result is a more developed understanding of Byrd as a literary figure and of the politics, science, and perceptions of the early Americans. Finally, the craft and beauty of many of these documentary images should be noted as well!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Bodleian Copperplates and the Holkham Prints

Byrd and the Dividing Line

The Williamsburg Buildings

Byrd's Views of British Politics and the Americas

Byrd's Resources: The Library and His Circle of Friends

Byrd's Perceptions of the Natural World and the Natuarl History on the Illustrations

The Engraver of the Plates