Antiquariaat Junk b.v. Natural History & Travel Old and Rare Books Offered for sale at the: New York Antiquarian Book Fair 2015, Park Avenue Armory Park Avenue & 67th Street, New York. Stand B 9. April 9-12 Friday noon-8pm, Saturday noon-7pm, Sunday noon-5pm Books may also be ordered from: Antiquariaat Junk Allard Schierenberg & Jeanne van Bruggen Van Eeghenstraat 129/ 1071 GA Amsterdam. The Netherlands Telephone: +31-20-6763185/ Telefax: +31-20-6751466 Email:
[email protected] Website: www.antiquariaatjunk.com NATURAL HISTORY BOOKSELLERS SINCE 1899 Front cover illustration: No. 5 Brown * Please visit our website www.antiquariaatjunk.com With thousands of colour pictures of fine Natural History books * As a result of the EU single market legislation we are required to charge our EU customers 6% V.A.T., unless they possess a V.A.T. registration number * [1] ALBERTUS MAGNUS. De animalibus libri vigintisex novissime impressi. Venetiis, impensa... Octaviani Scoti, 1519. Folio (305 x 215mm). Leaves 6, 205, with many woodcut initials. Later vellum, spine with gilt lettered label. $ 5,200 The first edition was published in Rome in 1478. Albertus Magnus (1193-1280), bishop of Regensburg and of noble birth was the most learned scholar of his age. "Albert's 'De animalibus' includes descriptions of some fabulous creatures, but it also rejects many popular medieval myths… and is especially noteworthy for its sections on the reproduction and embryology… He studied embryology by such simple methods as opening eggs at various intervals of time and tracing the development of the embryo… His studies on insects were especially good for their descriptions of insect mating, and he correctly identified the insect egg… Among the larger animals, he describes many northern types unknown to Aristotle, noting changes of coloration in the colder climates, and speculating that if any animals inhabited the poles they would have thick skins and be of a whiter color"(DSB).