Linnaeus & Sibly - 8 Natural History Engravings

Included in this lot:

The Stork of Italy
The Dromedary Camel
The Crested Porcupine of Africa
The Aquatic Viper
The Lynx
The Red-spotted Sea Perch
The Great American Spider, which prey on Birds
The Ostrich


Description of the work:

This scarce first edition engraving is from Sir Charles Linnaeus & Ebenezer Sibley's "A Genuine and Universal System of Natural History... or Magazine of Natural History". The work was published in London between 1794 and 1810, printed for the proprietor and sold by Champante and Whitrow.

The work featured originally hand-colored engravings based upon original illustrations by celebrated natural history artists and authors including George Edwards, Marcus Elieser Bloch, Georg Wolfgang Knorr, Georges-Louis Leclerc de Buffon, and others. It followed Linnaeus's classification methods exploring animals, vegetables, minerals, humans, and other natural history subjects.

Carl Linnaeus (1707-1788) was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist who formalized the system of binomial nomenclature which is still in practice today. He is considered the Father of Taxonomy.

Ebenezer Sibly (1751-1799) was an English physician and astrologer. He also wrote works on the occult. He believed in the theory of environmentalist monogenism purporting a single human origin of which he claimed the white race was the first on earth and that climate was the cause of darker skin.


Paper Size: ~ 5" by 8 1/4"


Paper Type or Special Features: Originally Hand-colored Engraving; One Without Color

The work is in fair to very good condition overall. There may be some foxing or toning present. Engravings from this work may have absent plate marks or images printed close to the edge due to how the work was printed and bound. There may be a few minor imperfections to be expected with age. Please review the image carefully for condition and contact us with any questions.