THE HISTORIE OF SERPENTS or, THE SECOND BOOKE OF LIVING CREATURES. TOPSELL, Edward.

FIRST EDITION 1608. Folio, bound in sixes, approximately 310 x 220, 12 x 9 inches, slightly trimmed copy affecting the top of the Conger image only, pictorial title page with woodcut of the Boas, 56 woodcuts in the text, pictorial and decorated initials, head and tailpieces, bound in full vellum, red endpapers. Light staining and soiling to vellum binding, original ties missing, title page REPAIRED with paper to fore- and bottom margins, no loss to text, a shallow crease to title page and last leaf, first red endpaper spotted, LACKING Aa5 (pages 237-38), a facsimile now inserted, repairs to margins of P1 (pages 157-58), not affecting text, small hole to page 65 affecting 4 words, the loss to recto pencilled in the margin and the verso inked in, small repair to inner margin of last leaf of index, affecting a few words and numbers all inked in, and a few other leaves with small paper repairs to blank margins, pale brown stains and spotting to margins and a few affecting text, all readable. A good copy of one of the first works on the natural history of serpents in English, most often found as the second book in "'The Historie of Foure-Footed Beasts" (1607). Topsell's account includes snakes, lizards, frogs, crocodiles, BEES (pages 64-82), wasps, hornets, tortoises, spiders, scorpions, chameleons, sea-serpents, dragons and Herculean Hydra. The printer William Jaggard published the Works of William Shakespeare. See: Edwin Eliott Willoughby, A Printer of Shakespear, The Books and Times of William Jaggard, pages 78-80; British Bee Books, A Bibliography 1500-1976, pages 42-43. MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING, ALL ZOOMABLE, FURTHER IMAGES ON REQUEST. POSTAGE AT COST.