The Aquarium; an Unveiling of the Wonders of the Deep Sea by GOSSE, Philip Henry;

London, John Van Voorst, 1854, First edition. . original blind-stamped cloth with gilt title lettering on spine, edges rubbed, internal hinge lightly cracked but firm, all edges gilted, very good overall, interior is clean, unmarked and fine. . 12mo [19 x 13 cm]; xiv, 278 pp, 6 fine mounted color lithographs (chromolithographs) from the author's painting including frontis, with tissue guards, 6 other plates (lignigraphs), index. . This is the first book devoted to the aquarium, and the marine biologist author's most popular work, published near the beginning of the craze where persons would collect specimens from the seashore and add them to their home aquariums, in the days before pet stores. It was Gosse who coined the name 'aquarium' after considering previous names such as vivarium and aqua-vivarium. Freeman 60: 'Gosse's second study of the sea-shore is full of infectious enthusiasm. It is as much about observations of marine animals in the wild, particularly those at the bottom of the tide and below, as it is about the servicing of a marine aquarium and was an important influence behind the mid-Victorian craze for keeping aquariums.' Barber (Heyday of Natural History) 117: 'The first and best was appropriately provided by Gosse in The Aquarium of 1854. . . it was the most successful of Gosse's books'. One of the plates show a Victorian fountain aquarium. A picture of this book is available on request by email.