Jonston/Merian - [ERSTAUSGABE] Historiae Naturalis de Insectis/Serpentibus - 1650

First Edition, Insects, Bestiary - Basilisk, Hydra, Dragons


Johannes Jonstonus, Matthäus Merian
Two titles in one volume.
Natural History of Insects + Natural History of Serpents
1650

Engraved title + 40 full-page, excellent copper engravings by Matthäus Merian.


The two epochal works published in Frankfurt in 1650, 'Historiae naturalis de Insectis' and 'Historiae naturalis de Serpentibus,' together form part of Johannes Jonstonus's large-scale, five-volume animal encyclopedia 'Historia Naturalis,' which was published by the Merian family publishing house and was richly illustrated with numerous copper engravings by Matthäus Merian Jr. Jonstonus, a Polish-Scottish physician and universal scholar, systematically compiled the zoological knowledge of his time from ancient, medieval, and early modern sources, combining scholarly compilation with approaches of empirical observation.

The insect book ('de Insectis') classifies the 'animalia minuta' into groups such as beetles, flies, butterflies, grasshoppers, or spiders, and discusses morphology, reproduction, lifestyle, and often the medical or economic benefits of the species. The concise texts, printed in double-column format, are complemented by detailed, sometimes colored copper engravings by Merian, which vividly illustrate the diversity and exotic nature of the insect world in a manner extraordinary for the 17th century.

The Snake Band ('de Serpentibus') is dedicated to snakes, lizards, dragons, and other reptiles, standing at the intersection between natural history description and the older tradition filled with mythical creatures and reports of wonders. In addition to venomous and non-venomous snakes, crocodiles, and various lizards, there also appear 'dragones,' which Jonstonus adopts from ancient and medieval authorities, while Merian's plates depict these creatures in a mixture of observed nature and learned imagination.

Both treatises exemplify the transition of zoology from encyclopedic scholarship to systematic empirical natural research: Jonstonus arranges, compares, and collects, while Merian's engravings set the visual standard for natural history works of the second half of the 17th century. The combination of 'de Insectis' and 'de Serpentibus' in one volume reflects the original publishing practice of 'Historia Naturalis Animalium' and makes the copy a typical, yet highly representative testament of early modern natural history.



32x20 cm folio. 200 + 40 pages. Contemporary full leather binding of the time, joints cracked, beautiful marbled paper endpapers with ex-libris; the interior well preserved, only slightly browned. Please note my photos, they are an essential part of the description.


No shipping to Germany.