[Rarebooks] FS: Jonston's HISTORIAE NATURALIS, 1657, with 219 full-page engravings

[Charles Agvent]

 From our Fall Catalog of 60 New Arrivals now posted on our website: 
http://www.charlesagvent.com. It contains a fine miscellany, most of 
this caliber, in a variety of fields including Literature, Presidential, 
Hand-colored Plates, Autograph Letters, Early Printing, Americana, etc.

  JONSTON, Johannes. HISTORIAE NATURALIS DE PISCIBUS ET CETIS with DE 
EXANGUIBUS AQUATICIS with DE QUADRUPEDIBUS with DE INSECTIS, DE 
SERPENTIBUS ET DRACONIBUS wtih DE AVIBUS. Amsterdam: J. J. Schipper, 
1657. Early Edition. Folio (8-1/2" x 15") bound in contemporary full 
vellum lettered on the spine. Six parts in one. Jonston's complete and 
comprehensive compilation of the animal kingdom lavishly illustrated 
with hundreds of engraved figures, many fanciful or imaginary, many work 
of the great German artist Matthew Merian. This copy with 5 engraved 
title pages and 219 of the 249 plates called for including 46 of 47 in 
the Piscibus et cetis section, 19 of 20 in the Exanguibus aquaticis 
section, 64 of 80 in the Quadrupedibus section (also lacking text pages 
109-110 and 155-162), 28 of 28 in the Insectis section, 12 of 12 in the 
Serpentibus et Draconibus section, and 50 of 62 in the Avibus section. 
An important work on natural history with great influence well into the 
18th century.  Inscription of a A. Sundermahler, Collegii Soc: Jesu 
Herbigoil 1666 on the title page. Contents quite clean; binding solid 
with a few old, light stains (blood?) on the front cover. $6,000.00	

Jonston was a physician of Scottish decent, born on the Continent, where 
he spent the better part of his life. Jonston practiced other 
occupations in addition to being a physician, and in 1650 he published 
the first version of his zoology. In addition to his technical merits of 
this book, Jonston also had a good imagination, as some of the creatures 
illustrated never existed: hippos with strange features, dragons, 
unicorns, griffons, and animals with human faces.

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