Gessner, Conrad
Historiae animalium Liber I (-IV), 1551-1558. Zürich. Christoph Froschauer.
Extraordinary copy of the first edition of this “encyclopaedia of contemporary knowledge” (PMM), here with the woodcuts in contemporary color and in uniform contemporary bindings
First edition, a spectacular set with the woodcut in fine contemporary color and housed in uniform contemporary bindings. Conrad Gesner (1516-1565) was one of the great polymaths of the Renaissance and one of the founders of modern zoology. “His History of Animals is an encyclopaedia of contemporary knowledge, intended to replace not only medieval compilations but even Aristotle's work of the same title... Although the Historia Animalium does not yet show any recognition of a connexion between different forms of living nature and fails to conform to our modern ideas of biological research, it was a great step forward and remained the most authoritative zoological book between Aristotle and the publication of Ray's classification of fauna in 1693” (PMM).
First edition, a spectacular set with the woodcut in fine contemporary color and housed in uniform contemporary bindings. Conrad Gesner (1516-1565) was one of the great polymaths of the Renaissance and one of the founders of modern zoology. “His History of Animals is an encyclopaedia of contemporary knowledge, intended to replace not only medieval compilations but even Aristotle's work of the same title... Although the Historia Animalium does not yet show any recognition of a connexion between different forms of living nature and fails to conform to our modern ideas of biological research, it was a great step forward and remained the most authoritative zoological book between Aristotle and the publication of Ray's classification of fauna in 1693” (PMM).
P.O.R.
Further images
Four books in 3 volumes Folio (400x 250 mm). Liber primus de quadrupedibus viviparis. [20] ff, 1104 pp., [6] ff. - Liber III. De Avium natura. [18] ff. of which 1 blank, 779 pp. - Lib. II de quadrupedibus oviparis. [4] ff. of which 1 blank110 pp., [1] blank leaf, 27 pp. - Liber IIII. de Piscium & Aquatilium animatium natura . [20] ff, 1297 pp., [1] blank leaf. Devices on titles, author's portrait, initials at the beginnings and 1079 depictions of animals, all in woodcut and coloured by a contemporary hand. Uniformly bound in contemporary blindstamped pigskin over wooden boards, each volume with two clasps, one volume with leaf markers on foredge. Corners and edges minimally worn and scuffed, small flaw to rear cover of volume I. Some foxing, staining and browning in places.
Provenance: Johann Heinrich Lavater, Johann Rudolf Lavater; manuscript inscription on titles “D'Apples 1701”, probably Jean Pierre d'apples (1656-1733), physician and rector of the university of Lausanne; C. Charbonniere; Antiquariat August Laube; Swiss private collection.
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