Conradi Gesneri ... Historiae animalium liber primus[-V]

Author

Conrad Gessner

Title

Date

1585

Place

Francofurti

Publisher

In bibliopolio Cambieriano

Edition

Ed. 2., nouis iconibus nec non obseruationibus non paucis auctior atque etiam multis in locis emendatior ...

Contributor

Guillaume Rondelet

Pierre Belon

Johann Wechel

Robert Cambier

Note

Vols. 2-3 have imprint: Francofurdi, Ex officina typographica I. Wecheli, Impensis R. Cambieri; v. 4: Francofurti, In bibliopolio A. Cambieri

v. 1. De quadrupedibus viulparis. 1602.- v. 2. De quadrupedibus ouiparis. 1586.- v. 3. De auium natura. 1585.- v. 4. De piscium & aquatilium animantium natura. Gulielmi Rondeleti quoque ... & Petri Belloni ... de aquatilium singulis scripta. 1604

BINDING:
Quarter bound leather over marbled paper and pasteboards. Gold tooling on spine. No head or tail band. Rebound in 19th century.

CONDITION:
Binding -- front board has come away from the spine.
Pages -- leaves in Vol.2 are stained brown but text is still legible; some minor damage (mostly rips) throughout; last leaf shows signs of repair. Leaves of Vol. 3 are stained brown. Leaf 2T1 badly ripped and shows some evidence of repair. Leaves *1 and 2Z5 have been repaired.
Generally fair condition.

DEDICATIONS:
Vol. 2
To D. Valentino Gravio Decimario and the Senators of Freiburg (*2v)

Vol. 3
To D. Ioanni Iacobo Fuggero (*2v)
To the Reader (*4v)
Statement from Robertus Cambierus (*5r)
Printer's Privilege (*6v)
Passage from Psalms 104 (*6r)

FORMAT:
Vol.2
2°: *⁴ A - K⁶ [$4 (-*1, -*4; Gii signed 'G2']. 64 leaves, pp. [8],1-119 120 (misprinting 22 as '25'). Boards measure: 35 x 24.5 cm. Leaves measure: 34 x 23 cm.

Vol. 3
2°: *⁶ a-z⁶ A-2Y⁶ 2Z⁸ (-2Z8) [$4 signed (+2Z5; -*1, -2H4)]. 421 leaves, pp. [12], 1-251 256-504 503-504 505-806 [=804], [26] (misprinting 97 as '79', 100 as '98', 105 as '103', 197 as '198', 446 as '449', 488 as '486', 494 as '492', 559 as '459', 593 as '493', 713 as '513', 797 as '796'). Boards measure: 35 x 24.5 cm. Leaves measure: 34 x 23 cm.

LLUSTRATIONS:
Vol. 2
Woodcuts depicting reptiles and amphibians, decorated initials (woodcut). printer’s devices (woodcut).

Vol.3
Woodcut illustrations of birds, decorated initials (woodcut), printer’s devices (woodcut).

MARGINALIA:
Vol. 2
Printed Marginalia:Moderate reference notes.
Handwritten Notes: On the title page, Gessner's name has been lightly struck through with brown ink. His name has also been underlined in graphite. A translation of the print date has been added in graphite. An inscription in graphite on the title page reads: Old Dutt u-34:4-s.

Vol. 3
Printed Marginalia:Moderateexplanatory notes.
Handwritten Notes:Translation of the date in graphite on the title page. Gessner's name has also been violently crossed out in this volume, more so than in Vol 2. The brown ink used has bled through the paper onto subsequent leaves. In some places the nib of the pen has cut into the paper, suggesting either great force or repeated strokes.

PROVENANCE:
Spine has the initials D.V.C stamped on and the number 296 written beneath the initials. On inner pastedown: bookplate with the inscription: Ex-libris Charles Atwood Kofiod. Mr. Kofoid (1865-1947) was a zoologist based in America. Over his bookplate is one from the CRRS. A library call number that reads D4 Ge.1 495 is written in the top left corner. On title page: stamped twice with an image showing a cross in an oval frame with the initials SPBCN. Stamp is possibly form an ecclesiastical library in Naples. CRRS call number QL 41 G4 1585 Large CRRS Rare V.2-3 written in top left corner of *1r. There is another SPBCN stamp on the title page of Vol 3. Victoria University CRRS library stamp on last leaf on third volume.

RELATED:
Original printed in 1555. Vol 3 has been bound with Vol 2.

TITLE PAGE:
Vol.2
CONR. GESNERI │ TIGVRINI, MEDICINÆ │ ET PHILOSOPHIAE PROFESSORIS │ in Schola Tigurina, Hiſtoriæ Animalium Liber II. │ quieſt de Quadrupedibus Ouiparis. │ NVNC [swash on N] DENVO RECOGNITVS [swash on R, T] ACPLVRIBVS [swash on P, B] IN │ locis ab ip∫o authore ante obitum emendatus & auctus, atque aliquot nouis Ɨconibus [swash on Ɨ]│ & de∫criptionibus locupletatus, acdenique [tail on e] breuibus in margine [tail on e] │ Annotationibus illuſtratus. │ ADIECTI SVNT INDICES ALPHABETICI VNDECIM │ ⌠uper nominibus Ouiparorum quadrupedum in totidem linguis diuer⌠is: & ante │ illos Enumeratio eo ordine quo in hoc volumine continentur. │ [woodcut of a lizard, 65 x 130 mm.] │ FRANCOFVRDI │ Ex officina Typographica Ioannis Wecheli, │ Ɨmpenſis [swash on Ɨ] Roberti [sash on R] Cambieri. │ M D L X X X V I. │ Cum gratia & priuilegio S. Cæſareæ Maieſtatis ad decennium.

Vol.3
CONR. GESNER<I> │ TIGVRINI, MEDICINÆ │ ET PHILOSOPHIAE PROFESSORIS │ in Schola Tigurina, Hiſtoriæ Animalium Liber III. │ qui eſt de Auium natu<ra>. │ NUNC [swash on N, U] DENVO [swash on D] RECOGNITVS [swash on R, T] AC [swash on A] PLVRIBUS [swash on P, U] ƗN [swash on Ɨ] │ locis emendatus, multi∫que nouis Ɨconibus [swash on Ɨ] & deſcriptionibus locupletatus, ac │ denique breuibus in margine annotationibus illuſtratus, ſicut plenius │ decima pagina indicabit. │ ADIECTI SVNT AD CALCEM LIBRI INDICES ALPHA-│betici decem ⌠uper nominibus Auium in totidem linguis diuerſis: & ante illos Enumeratio │ Auium eo ordine quo in hoc volumine continentur. │ [woodcut of a bird with bells on its legs standing on a log, 110 x 125 mm.] FRANCOFVRDI │ Ex officina Typographica Ioannis Wecheli, │ Ɨmpenſis [swash on Ɨ] Roberti [swash on R] Cambieri. │ M D L X X X V. │ Cum gratia & priuilegio S. Cæſareæ Maieſtatis ad decennium.

TABLES/INDEXES:
Vol. 2
Table of Contents (*2r)
Index (*3v)

Vol.3
Appendix of birds without a proper name (2V6r)
Omitted birds (2X5v)
Table of contents (2Yv)
Index (2Y3v)

TYPE:
Vol. 2
Roman, italic, blackletter.

Vol. 3
Roman, italic, blackletter.

WATERMARK:
Vol.2
None visible.

Vol.3 None visible.