Curious woodcuts of fanciful and real beasts. [By] Konrad Gesner. A selection of 190 sixteenth-century woodcuts from Gesner's and Topsell's natural histories.(Dover pictorial archives series) by Konrad Gessner - 1971

New York: Dover, 1971. First Edition. Oversized paperback. Fine/none as issued. Edward Topsell. A near fine first edition in softcover.Quarto. Edward Topsell (circa 1572 – 1625) was an English cleric and author best remembered for his bestiary.Topsell's The History of Four-footed Beasts (1607) and The History of Serpents (1608), both published by William Jaggard, were reprinted together as The History of Four-Footed Beasts and Serpents in 1658. An 1100-page treatise on zoology, Topsell's work repeats ancient and fantastic legends about actual animals, as well as reports of mythical animals. Topsell, not a naturalist himself, relied on earlier authorities, most notably the Historiae animalium of the Swiss scholar Conrad Gessner. "I would not have the Reader," Topsell writes, "... imagine I have ... related all that is ever said of these Beasts, but only [what] is said by many." Topsell's work is remembered chiefly for its detailed and vigorous illustrations, including the famous image known as Dürer's Rhinoceros. The illustrations have been widely reproduced in many contexts, and Topsell's bestiary has been reprinted in various modern editions, usually in greatly reduced form.." ---wikipedia