De Natura Animalium libri XVII. Cum animadversionibus Conradi Gessneri, et Danielis Wilhelmi Trilleri: curante Abrahamo Gronovio, Qui et suas Adnotationes adjecit, 2 volumes complete in a clamshell box

Pp. xiv, xxvii, (36), 603, (1); (605)-1128, (86), with engraved title- and end- vignette, and with woodcut ornaments.  There is Greek and Latin parallel text throughout.  Contemporary brown morocco leather, spine with five raised bands, lettered in one compartment, housed in clamshell box covered in green cloth and with brown morocco title/author label on spine lettered in gilt, 4to.  This work by Claudius Aelianus (Aelian) was one of the major attempts to classify animals before Linnaeus.  There is a section on herpetology.  The work was originally written in Greek and later translated into Latin by Gesner.  This London edition is based on the first critical edition by Conrad Gesner (1516-1565) and contains commentaries by D. W. Triller (1694-1775).  The editor was the Dutch physician Abraham Gronovius (1695-1775).  At least 20 editions were published between 1744 and 1760, this being the earliest edition.  Old bookplate of Collegium St. Petri Acad. Cantabria with decorative motif on the front endpaper.