1842 A History of British Sponges and Lithophytes

Description

Colour Plates, First Edition, Illustrated, Rebound

The first and only edition of this work. 

Rebound in a later half cloth, with marbled boards. With the cut-out of the title from the original back strip laid down to the spine.

Collated, complete with twenty-five tinted plates to the rear, the occasional figure with additional hand-colouring. Numerous in-text woodcuts.

An authoritative work on British sponges and lithophytes, describing their various structures, habitats, food, propagation and geographical distributions. With a history of discoveries of the nature of sponges, including ancient references made by Aristotle, Pliny and others, as well as the characteristics found in classes such as Amorphozoa, the genus Tethea, and the British Corallines.

Written by Scottish physician and naturalist George Johnston, who was one of the founders of the Berwickshire Naturalists' Club and its first president.