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Seba. Cabinet of Natural Curiosities. 40th Ed.

30

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Edition: Multilingual (English, French, German)Availability: Coming soon
Exotic plants, corals and crocodiles, birds and butterflies. Albertus Seba’s extraordinary catalog of natural specimens is not only one of the 18th century’s greatest natural history achievements but also one of the most prized natural history books of all time. It is a beautiful tribute to the abundance and diversity of Earth's creatures, great and small, as well as a fascinating record of some now-extinct animals.
Hardcover6.5 x 8.8 in.3.21 lb512 pages
“A powerful testament to nature’s beauty and diversity.”
Chicago Tribune
“The eye-popping displays leave us in awe of the diversity of the natural world, as well as the engravers’ skill in producing these beautifully detailed plates.”
The Huffington Post
“Snakes alive! What a cabinet of creepy-crawly curiosities.”
The Independent
Seba. Cabinet of Natural Curiosities. 40th Ed.

Seba. Cabinet of Natural Curiosities. 40th Ed.

30

Spectacular Specimens

Albertus Seba’s unrivalled catalog of animals, insects and plants

The Cabinet of Natural Curiosities is one of the 18th century’s greatest natural history achievements and remains one of the most prized natural history books of all time. Though scientists of his era often collected natural specimens for research purposes, Amsterdam-based pharmacist Albertus Seba (1665–1736) was unrivalled in his passion. His amazing collection of animals, plants and insects from all around the world gained international fame during his lifetime.

In 1731, after decades of collecting, Seba commissioned careful and often scenic illustrations of every specimen. With these meticulous drawings, he arranged for the publication of a four-volume catalog, covering the entire collection from strange and exotic plants to snakes, frogs, crocodiles, shellfish, corals, birds, and butterflies, as well as now extinct creatures.

This reproduction is taken from a rare, hand-colored original. The introduction supplies background information about the fascinating tradition of natural collections to which Seba’s curiosities belonged.
The authors

Irmgard Müsch, born in 1967, studied art history, history, and classical archaeology in Mainz and Berlin. Her PhD thesis from 1999 examines Johann Jakob Scheuchzer’s Kupfer-Bibel, a richly illustrated scientific commentary on the Bible from the early 18th century. She has published on art of the 18th and 20th centuries, scientific illustrations, and Kunstkammer pieces.

Jes Rust, born 1963, completed his studies in geology, paleontology, and zoology at Göttingen and Kiel. His thesis dealt with the evolution of fossil snails living in the fresh and brackish waters of prehistoric Greece. His assistantship at the Institute of Zoology in Göttingen between 1993 and 1999 was followed by his appointment in 2001 as professor of invertebrate paleontology and insect phylogeny at the University of Bonn.

Rainer Willmann holds a chair in zoology at Göttingen University, is director of its Zoological Museum, and is cofounder of its Centre for Biodiversity and Ecology Research. A specialist in phylogenetics and evolution, he conducts research into biodiversity and its history.

Seba. Cabinet of Natural Curiosities. 40th Ed.
Hardcover16.4 x 22.4 cm1.46 kg512 pages

ISBN 978-3-8365-8788-4

Edition: Multilingual (English, French, German)
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5

/5

4 Ratings

Gorgeous art

Constance S.,May 21, 2023
I'm using these multi-varied natural history plates in my collage work. They would also be beautiful framed.

Bellissimo

Cliente A.,April 10, 2023
Lo ho acquistato per me anni fa e da allora è diventato anche un gradito regalo per gli appassionati del genere.

Be aware the size is in CENTIMETERS!

Antoine,December 3, 2022
After reading the bad reviews about the size of the book (16.3 x 41 x 22.5), I wanted to bring to your attention that the unit of measure is in centimeters, probably because of Taschen being an European publisher. Can’t say about the folks who wrote the reviews, but on my amazon.ca it is clearly indicated as « 16.3 x 41 x 22.5 cm ». Oh! And also there is an error, it is more likely to be 16.3 x 22.5 x 4.1 cm than 41 cm!! There is, however, a largest version of the book, which is also usually pricier. ISBN 383656906X. Hope this helps!

Fantastic COMPACT studio book for artists

ART.ST,November 24, 2022
I received EXACTLY as advertised. Taschen smartly delivers same books (mostly the same) with buyer able to choose extra large or compact and pay accordingly.