2 vols in one, 8vo (198 x 121 mm), pp [vi] xxviii 470; [ii] 471-956 [2], with engraved title and engraved head- and tailpiece; a very nice copy in contemporary calf, spine gilt with neoclassical ornaments. £2500
First edition, presentation copy (inscribed 'Munus authoris' on endleaf) of the privately printed catalogue of Cobres’ natural history library, comprising descriptions, with collations and notes, of some 2500 books on botany, zoology, geology, etc. The catalogue is divided into subject sections and includes sections on conchology, microscopy and ‘Musea’ or Wunderkammern (107 titles listed, and noted by Grinke as one of the earliest bibliographies of museum catalogues). It is still an important reference work today, as its accurate collations are often unavailable elsewhere. Cobres often includes remarks on the rarity or beauty of a particular work.The title-page and vignettes were drawn and engraved by J.F. von Göz.
Murray History of museums II p 6
GBP 2500.00
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