Practical Taxidermy: A Manual of Instruction to the Amateur in Collecting, Preserving, and Setting Up Natural History Specimens of All Kinds. to Which Is Added a Chapter Upon the Pictorial Arrangement of Museums. with Additional Instructions in Modelling and Artistic Taxidermy.

In the age of Victorian natural history mania, when every gentleman collector aspired to populate his cabinet with perfectly preserved specimens, Montagu Browne did something radical: he gave away the trade secrets. Originally published in the late 19th century, this practical manual demystifies taxidermy for enthusiastic amateurs who lacked access to professional instruction. Browne traces the craft's surprising history from ancient Egyptian mummification through Victorian-era innovations, while systematically teaching readers how to collect, preserve, and mount animals of all kinds. Beyond technical instructions on skinning, stuffing, and articulating specimens, Browne includes a chapter on the artistic arrangement of museum displays, arguing that taxidermy at its best elevates mere preservation to aesthetic achievement. He also addresses modelling and artistic taxidermy, encouraging practitioners to consider beauty alongside scientific accuracy. This is a book born of genuine enthusiasm, written by someone who believed patience, careful observation, and dedication could transform an amateur into an artist.