Francisci Willughbeii Armig. De historia piscium libri quatuor
Subtitle: jussu & sumptibus Societatis Regiae Londinensis editi. : In quibus non tantum De piscibus in genere agitur, sed & species omnes, tum ab aliis traditae, tum novae & nondum editae bene multae, naturae ductum servante methodo dispositae, accurate describuntur. : Earumque effigies, quotquot haberi potuere, vel ad vivum delineatae, vel ad optima exemplaria impressa : artifici manu elegantissime in aes incisae, ad descriptiones illustrandas exhibentur. : Cum appendice historias & observationes in supplementum operis collatas complectente
By: Totum opus recognovit, coaptavit, supplevit, librum etiam primum & secundum integros adjecit Johannes Raius e Societate Regia
Contributors: Ray, John, 1627-1705, editor, writer of introduction; Davis, Charles, -1755, printer; Woodward, Thomas, -1751?, printer; Pepys, Samuel, 1633-1703, dedicatee; Pepys, Samuel, 1633-1703, sponsor; Wren, Christopher, Sir, 1632-1723, sponsor; Evelyn, John, 1620-1706, sponsor; Boyle, Robert, 1627-1691, sponsor; Ashmole, Elias, 1617-1692, sponsor; Somer, Paul van, 1649-1694, engraver; Nieuhof, Johannes, 1618-1672; Mortimer, Cromwell, -1752; Nichols, Spencer van Bokkelen, former owner; Royal Society (Great Britain); Sheldonian Theatre
Published: 1743
Language: lat
Number of pages: 343
Subjects: Fishes; Early works to 1800; Pictorial works
Other titles: De historia piscium libri quatuor; Historia piscium libri quatuor; Francisci Willoughby Icthyographia; Icthyographia
Work titles: De historia piscium
Notes: First Latin edition issued in 1686; see C.S. Wood, Vertebrate zoology, page 629.

With added engraved title page: "Francisci Willoughby [sic] Icthyographia [sic] ad amplissimum virum D[omi]num Samuelem Pepys, praesidem Soc. Reg. Londinensis, concilium, et socios ejusdem. Sumptibus Societatis Regalis Londinensis. 1685." Signed at foot: "Paul van Somer jnuent et fecit Londini".

With John Ray's preface and dedication to Samuel Pepys.

A full re-issue was published by the Royal Society in 1743, with cancel title page. See Keynes' bibliography of John Ray (no. 47) and the English short title catalogue no. N68107.

This edition, which has the original 1685 title page and not the 1743 cancel, but has the 1740 index may represent an imperfect copy of the Royal Society's 1743 reissue (English short title catalogue no. N68107), or a copy of the 1685 made up by an individual owner as the 1740 index became available. See English short title catalogue no. N51867.

In some copies the added engraved title page is often placed as a title page to the plates when they are bound following the text or in a separate volume .

"Appendix ad Historiam naturalem piscium. Pisces Indiae orientalis a Joanne Nieuhofs descripti"; "Annotationes in tabulae" and "Errata typographica" on recto of unpaged leaf following; "Index". Separate paging and register (30, [14] pages; A-L²). Many fish names in Dutch. As issued in 1686?

"Index piscium in Ichthyographia Willughbeiana vel descriptorum vel depictorum ... Additis synonymis ... curâ̂̂̂ Cromwelli Mortimeri, Reg. Soc. Secret.": separate paging ([12] pages) and register (a-c², signatures in square brackets). "Omissa", "Corrigenda in indice Anglicano", "Addenda & corrigenda in indice Latino", "Errata": pages [9]-[12]. With colophon: "Londini: Prostant venales apud Carolum Davis in vico Paternoster-Row dicto, & Thomam Woodward in vico Fleetstreet inter duas Templi portas; Regalis Societatis typographos. M. DCC. XL [1740]."

Engraved title vignette (Sheldonian Theatre), engraved headpieces, decorated initials.

Plates numbered by sections: A2 B9 C5 D5 E2 F8 G10 H7 I27 L7 M5 N13 O5 P8 Q10 R4 S22 T1 V12 X15; Appendix 10.

Each plate has an engraved credit line dedicated to the patron who paid for production, including Samuel Pepys, Christopher Wren, Robert Boyle, John Evelyn, Elias Ashmole, and many others.

The plates exist in several states: Printed on rectos and versos both (state 1) or on rectos only (state 2). State 1 plates may include eight blank leaves. The four plates numbered "Appendices tab. 5-8" may have fish identifications as provided with pasted-on letterpress-printed slips (state a) or as names engraved in the plates with the images (state b). State b presumably constitutes a separate printing of the plates.

"Figurae novae quae non paucae sunt [dagger] notantur" --Added engraved title page.

Signatures: pi1 [a]-b² A-2V⁴; ²A-²L² (a)-(c)² (A3 missigned A2; R3 missigned as Q3; (a)-(c) in square brackets).

"Errores typographici": preliminary page [9].

Includes errata leaf and indexes.

Includes bibliographical references.

Keynes, G. John Ray, 1627-1705, 47

English short title catalogue N51867

extracted picklist 20081216 BHLEX

SCNHRB copy 39088000277905 has the plates printed on the recto side only (state 2). Plates A.1, B.1, B.2, B.2 (=B.9?), B.3, B.4, B.5, B.6, C.1, C.2, D.1, and D.2 have mounted labels with printed captions.

SCNHRB copy has Cromwell Mortimer's index ([12] pages, with signatures [a]-[c]²) bound following the preliminary leaves (between b2 and A1).

SCNHRB copy has an armorial book plate: Spencer Van Bokkelen Nichols; with shelf mark 1012.

SCNHRB copy has a later gilt-tooled red half-leather binding with red embossed-cloth-covered boards; raised bands; decorated endpapers; and top edge gilt. A gilt-stamped vignette of an otter with a fish appears on the front and back covers.