ROESEL VON ROSENHOF'S HISTORIA NATURALIS RANARUM NOSTRATIUM WITH WONDERFUL HAND COLORED ENGRAVINGS 1758.

Roesel von Rosenhof, AJ , German naturalist and engraver, (1705-1759). Historia Naturalis Ranarum nostratium.... Die natürliche Historie der Frösche hiesigen Landes worinnen alle Eigenschaften derselben sonderlich aber ihre Fortpflanzung umständlich beschreibung werden. Mit einer Vorrede Herrn Albrechts von Haller. Johann Joseph Fleischmann, Nuremberg, 1758. First edition. Large folio in a contemporary marbled leather binding with gilt text and gilt decoration on spine. Marbled front pages. (445 x 310 mm). Illustrated with beautifully hand-colored frontispiece, 24 full-page hand-colored engravings and as many engraved duplicates in black and white, and 6 large engraved vignettes. Frontespis, (VIII), VIII, 115 p., (I), parallel text in Latin and German printed in columns + 24 colored and 24 black-and-white engravings.
The most beautiful work ever about frogs. "These plates must be among the most beautiful illustrations in all of herpetology. The complete life cycle of all species of German frogs and toads is presented in great detail - including amplexing adults and developmental stages of tadpoles - together with their anatomy and osteology" (Adler, K. Contributions to the history of herpetology p. 10).
Bibliographic ref. Nissen ZBI, 3464; Wood 541.
Provenance Richard Wahlgren, Lund.