Paolo GIOVIO
De romanis piscibus libellus, doctus, copiosus & elegans, iam recens aeditus
Per Ioannem Grapheum|Antverpiae [Antwerp] • [Anvers] [Antwerp] 1528|10 x 15.50 cm|relié
New edition, rare, after the editio princeps of 1524 in Rome.
Modern full vellum Bradel binding. Smooth unlettered spine. Title leaf with small lacks to outer margin, same for the last leaf. Paper yellowed. Scattered foxing. Lacking the final blank leaf h8 with the printer's device on verso.
Physician, then bishop and major historian of his time, Paul Jove (in French) focused in this work on zoology and more particularly on fish of Antiquity. Govio's book is not properly speaking a naturalist work, the author contenting himself with drawing from literary sources to describe different fish, even certain monstrous fish as they were perceived by Latin or Greek authors. Govio describes no fewer than 40 fish, commenting on their nutritional and medicinal properties and offering some culinary recipes. There is also no concern for classification in his work, although his first chapter is an attempt at a singular description of what a fish is. Between 1485 and 1558 no fewer than 70 books on fish appeared; this abundant literature, still inherited from the Middle Ages, would lead to true epistemological reflection and gradually construct ichthyology.
Modern full vellum Bradel binding. Smooth unlettered spine. Title leaf with small lacks to outer margin, same for the last leaf. Paper yellowed. Scattered foxing. Lacking the final blank leaf h8 with the printer's device on verso.
Physician, then bishop and major historian of his time, Paul Jove (in French) focused in this work on zoology and more particularly on fish of Antiquity. Govio's book is not properly speaking a naturalist work, the author contenting himself with drawing from literary sources to describe different fish, even certain monstrous fish as they were perceived by Latin or Greek authors. Govio describes no fewer than 40 fish, commenting on their nutritional and medicinal properties and offering some culinary recipes. There is also no concern for classification in his work, although his first chapter is an attempt at a singular description of what a fish is. Between 1485 and 1558 no fewer than 70 books on fish appeared; this abundant literature, still inherited from the Middle Ages, would lead to true epistemological reflection and gradually construct ichthyology.
€1,000