Conradi Gesneri medici Tigurini Historiae animalium lib. I. De quadrupedibus uiuiparis. Opus philosophis, medicis, grammaticis, philologis, poetis, & omnibus rerum linguarumq[ue] uariarum studiosis, utilissimum simul iucundissimumq[ue] futurum. Ad lectorem. Habebis in hoc volumine, optime lector, non solum simplicem animalium historiam, sed etiam ueluti commentarios copiosos, & castigationes plurimas in ueterum ac recentiorum de animalibus scripta quae uidere hactenus nobis licuit omnia: praecipuè uerò in Aristotelis, Plinij, Aeliani, Oppiani, authorum rei rusticae, Alberti Magnae, &c. de animalibus lucubrationes. Tuum erit, candide lector, diligentissimum & laboriosissimum opus, quod non minori tempore quàm quidam de elephantis fabulantur, conceptum efformatumq[ue] nobis, diuino auxilio nunc tandem in lucem aedimus, non modo boni consulere, sed etiam tantis conatibus (ut alterum quoq[ue] tomum citius & alacrius absoluamus) ex animo fauere ac bene precari: & domino deo bonorum omnium authori seruatoriq[ue], qui tot tantasq[ue] res ad vniuersi ornatum, & uarios hominum usus creauit, ac nobis ut ea contemplaremur uitam, ualetudinem, otium & ingenium donauit, gratias agere maximas.
Conrad Gessner (1516-1565)
Category
Books
Date
1551
Materials
Place of origin
Zurich
Collection
Blickling Hall, Norfolk
NT 3204481
Summary
Bibliographic description
[40], 1104, [12] p. : ill. (woodcuts) ; fol. Running number: 5858. Shelved and uniform with vol. 3 'De auium natura' (1585), vol. 4 'De piscium & aquatilium animantium natura' (1558), vol. 5 'De serpentium natura' (1587) and 'Icones animalium' (1560). Vol. 2 'De quadrupedibus oviparis' is listed in John Mitchell's original catalogue of the Ellys library, but is now missing (it is not listed in Miss O'Sullivan's 1940s shelflist). Provenance: manuscript capital letter on front fly-leaf: "D". Binding: sixteenth-century full calf; wooden boards; gilt single fillet border; gilt wreath centrepiece stamp; blind single fillet along board edges. Rebacked and repaired in brown goatskin.
Makers and roles
Conrad Gessner (1516-1565), author Albrecht Dürer (Nuremberg 1471 – Nuremberg 1528), artist Lukas Schan, artist