Allen, Joel Asaph; History of North American Pinnipeds: a monograph of the Walruses, Sea-lions, Sea-bears and Seals of North America. Washington DC, GPO, 1880. Large octavo, pp. xvi, 785, 60 text illustrations.
The work is complete and in the original brown stamped cloth with gilt spine titles. The titles are faded, the binding is clean and tight, text is very clean and bright. Inscribed on front end sheet “compliments of the Secretary of the Interior” with the inscription of ? Frick, May 5, 1882 on next end sheet. In very good condition.
Allen (1838-1921) was an American mammalogist and zoologist. He was the first curator of birds and mammals at the American Museum of Natural History. During his studies at Harvard’s Lawrence Scientific School he cam under the influence of Louis Agassiz. In 1865 Allen accompanied Agassiz during his expedition to Brazil where he collected mammals and birds. Upon his return to Harvard he became curator of mammals and birds at the museum. Further collecting expeditions were to Florida, the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains. His collecting led to the 1880 publication on North American pinnipeds in which he provides a detailed catalog of the walruses, sea lions and seals. The publication was published as part of Hayden’s United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories.
