78/2657 [Entomology]. Swammerdam, J. Historia Insectorum Generalis, ofte Algemeene Verhandeling van de Bloedeloose Dierkens. Waar in, de waaragtige Gronden van haare langsaame Aangroeingen in Leedematen, klaarelijk werden voorgestelt; kragtiglijk, van de gemeene dwaaling der Vervorming, anders Metamorphosis genoemt, gesuyvert: ende beknoptelijk, in vier onderscheide Orderen van Veranderingen, ofte natuurelijke uytbottingen in leeden, begreepen. Het eerste deel [all published]. Utr., M. van Dreunen, 1669, 1st ed., (28),168; 48p., fold. double-p. list of plates, 13 (fold.) mainly handcol. engr. plates, contemp. vellum w. gilt mirror ornament within double gilt fillet borders around sides w. corner fleurons on both covers, spine w. 5 simple gilt compartments.

- Plates partly sl. yellowed. Lacks ties. Otherwise a very fine copy.

= All published. The extremely rare first edition of this seminal work in which once and for all Swammerdam put to rest the notion of spontaneous generation by insects and the claim that they did not have an internal anatomy. Our copy is not only desirable for its rarity and its fine and attractive contemporary binding or its remarkably effective manner of illustrating the points that Swammerdam makes in his book, but also for the fact that almost all plates are contemporarily handcoloured. No handcol. copies of the first edition were traced by us in the market. Osler 961; Nissen, ZBI 4052; Garrison-Morton 294; Hagen 2:208; Krivatsy 11599.