Old Book Art » Nature & Natural History

E. J. Detmold: Fabre’s Book of Insects

John — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:53:19 +0000

This edition from 1921 is the first American edition, I believe. The plates are identical or very similar to the originals. The image titles and quotes are verbatim from the tissue guards. (The quotations are themselves text excerpts.)

It is sometimes hard to determine how extensively to edit my images. The toning and loss of color over decades or centuries will almost always have some effect, but in many cases this actually looks very nice and is what some people either want or expect. Depending on your tastes and the use you have for the image, the aged affect is often preferable. Nevertheless, I have often removed to age toning and brightened the colors, as the cleaner image is a lot fresher, often more useful for certain applications, and will in a lot of cases actually be closer to what the artist intended. I will not pretend to know what Detmold intended, let alone what the color was like at the time of printing, but I here offer the images in both forms. The whiter, brighter images are very nice, even if not accurate restorations.

The Gallery has links to all the plates, both edited and as scanned. The images below link to the individual image pages where they are available for download in various sizes for free.

Title: Fabre’s Book of Insects: Retold from Alexander Teixeira De Mattos’ Translation of Fabre’s ‘Souvenirs Entomologiques’”
Author: Mrs. Rodolp Stawell
Artist: E. J. (Edward Julius) Detmold
Publisher: Dodd, Mead and Company
Date Published: 1921

Click on an image to go directly to that page in the Gallery.

THE SACRED BEETLE "Sometimes the Scarab seems to enter into a partnership with a friend."

"Sometimes the Scarab seems to enter into a partnership with a friend."

THE CICADA

"In July, when most of the insects in my sunny country are parched with thirst, the cicada remains perfectly cheerful."

THE PRAYING MANTIS

"A long time ago, in the days of ancient Greece, this insect was named Mantis, or Prophet."

THE PELOPAEUS SPIRIFEX

"When finished the work is amber-yellow, and rather reminds one of the outer skin of an onion."

THE PSYCHES

"This is the secret of the walking bundle of sticks. It is a Faggot Caterpillar, belonging to the group known as Psyches."

THE SPANISH COPRIS

"The burrow is almost filled with three or four ovoid nests, standing one against the other, with the pointed end upwards."

THE WHITE-FACED DECTICUS

"The Greek word dectikos means biting, fond of biting. The Decticus is well named. It is eminently given to biting."

COMMON WASPS

"The wasp's nest is made of a thin, flexible material like brown paper, formed of particles of wood."

THE FIELD CRICKET

"Here is one of the humblest of creatures able to lodge himself to perfection. He has a home; he has a peaceful retreat, the first condition of comfort."

THE SISYPHUS

"The mother harnesses herself in the place of honor, in front. The father pushes behind in the reverse position, head downwards."

ITALIAN LOCUSTS

"'I have buried underground,' she says, 'the treasure of the future.' "

THE ANTHRAX FLY

"Her delicate suit of downy velvet, from which you take the bloom by merely breathing on it, could not withstand the contact of rough tunnels."

Title Page Image Detail

Line Drawing of a wasp. Image with aged paper and tones unedited.

Varia: A Huge Hodgepodge of Images

John — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:58:02 +0000

This is a collection of images shared with me by the man who scanned them from various antique bibles and other old books, including: Mathematical Astronomy by C.W.C. Barlow & G.H. Bryan (1893); Dawn of Astronomy by Sir Norman Lockyer (late 1800’s); Baedeker’s Palestine and Syria (1912); An Illustrated History of the Holy Bible, published by Henry Bill (1871); and The Holy Bible, published by John E. Potter and Company (late 1800’s).

Rather than being organized by the book they come from, they are roughly organized by subject. This is because they were given to me this way by the person who scanned them, William Struse, and I have kept his organization. The images are all public domain and he shared them with me with the understanding they would be offered for free here. He has only thumbnails on his site, and this was an easy way for him to share the larger images with a broader audience. The maximum size of each image varies greatly. I have edited them extensively to clean up the dirt and shadows and to darken, brighten, and otherwise enhance the lines. A lot of text shows through from the obverse side of the leaves, but there was little that could be done about that. I have been working on the captions, but so far have gotten to only about half of them. There are close to 500 images in all.

Within the main GALLERY PAGE for this collection there are 14 separate albums, roughly sorted by subject. They are:

Animals
Birds
Coins
Dwellings
Insects
Jewelry
Maps
Musical Instruments
Plants
Ships and Vehicles
Temples and Priests
Trees
Weapons
Other Images

Below are some sample image from each album. Each thumbnail image will lead directly to that pictures page in the sub-album of the gallery. Keep in mind there are many more images in the gallery than shown here.

ANIMALS

Mole-Rat

Wild Boar

Camels

Egyptian Asses

Egyptian Frogs

Horse

Serpent

Snake

Syrian Bear

Wild Goats

Wolf

BIRDS

Crane

Cormorant

Ospray (Osprey)

Owl

Stork

Vulture

Quail

COINS

Coin of Augustus

Coin of Agrippa

Coin of Macedonia

Denarius of Tiberius

various

DWELLINGS

Arab Huts and Sheep-cotes at Busheir

Tents

Tent and Man with Spear

Egyptian House

Walled City

INSECTS

Egyptian Fly

Hornet

Locusts

Pyramidal Nests of the White Ant

Scorpion

Spider

Turret Nests of the White Ant

JEWELRY

Assyrian Ear-rings

Different Forms of Eastern Crowns

Ear-rings

Egyptian Ring Money

Flambeaux, from Roman Gems

Hhegabs, or Amulets, of Modern Egypt

Khizam, or Nose-jewel, of modern Egypt

MAPS

Acre & Environs

Bethleem, Beit-Lahm

Dome of the Rock, Temple Mount

Environs of the Monastery of Mt. Sinai and of the Jebel Musa

Jaffa

Plan of Babylon

Southern Palestine

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

"Dulcimer" or Bagpipe

A Player on the Harp

Double-Flute Players

Egyptian Harp

Modern Egyptian Flute Player

Muse with an early form of lyre

Oriental Instruments of the Drum Kind

Roman Trumpet

Tambourine Players

PLANTS

Cassia

Cinnamon

Ears of Corn

Frankincense

Grapes of Palestine

Lign-Aloe

Melon

Spices - Nutmeg

Reeds

Sweet Cane

Rose of Sharon

Thorn

Buds of Spices - Pepper, Chestnut, catkins, florets, stamens, pistils

SHIPS AND VEHICLES

Ancient Chariot

Ancient Egyptian and Roman Ships

Ancient Egyptian War Chariot

Ancient Rowing Vessels

Camels, a Caravan

Tabernacle

Boats conveying stone and timber

Ethiopian Car, Drawn by Oxen

Turkish Arabah, or Cart

TEMPLES AND PRIESTS

Altar of burnt offering

Altar of Incense

Costume of the High Priest

The Golden Candlestick

High Priests on the day of Atonement

The Holy of Holies and the Officiating High Priest

Interior of the Tabernacle - the veil between the holy places removed

Moses Consecrating Aaron

Aaron with the Scape-goat showing Costume of the High Priest and Levites (scapegoat sacrifice)

Ram's-Horn Blower

Service of Gershonites

Service of the Merarites

Probable form of the Table of Showbread - Priests removing the old and placing the new

The Ark of the Covenant

The Molten Sea

Trespass Offering of the Poor

The Tabernacle in the Midst of the Encampment

TREES

Almond Tree - Amygdalus commums

Bamboo Tree

Commmon Elm - Ulmus Campestris

Date-Palm - Phoenix dactylifera

Fig Leaves

Fruit of Palm

Fruit of the Pinus Pinea, or Stone Pine

Gopher Wood - Cupressus Sempervirens

Sycainore Figs - Ficus Sycamorus

Tree planted by the waters

Wild Date Palm, found in the Sinai mountains

Wormwood - Artemisia absinthium

WEAPONS

Ancient Helmets and Coats of Mail

Ancient Persian Shields and Spears

Ancient Roman Combat

Ancient Swords and Daggers

Archers of Bowmen - bows arrows and shield

Catapulta

Balista prepared for discharge of a stone

Egyptian Fencers

Egyptian Maces and Clubs, Syrian Maces and Clubs

Man in Scale Armor

Ancient Armor, Persian Horseman

Testudo, or Tortoise-Shield

Throwing a Javelin

OTHER

Alabaster Boxes

Ancient Well

Assyrian seal or cylinder of Sennacherib

Assyrian Shoes

Clog Almanac - Raxon Reive Pole

Egyptian Needle-work

Fine Lime-grinding Mill at Cairo

Girl pouring Wine from a leathern Bottle

Mummy Cases and Marble Sarcophagi

Patterns of Egyptian Moasaic

Roman Lantern, Column of Trajan, Roman Flambeaux

Sheepcotes

Various Forms of Ancient Sun Dials

Ur of the Caldees

Use of the Style - From Montfaucon's Paleographia Graeca

Daniel in the Lions' Den

Hand-Book to the Marsupialia and Monotremata

John — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 13:09:44 +0000

Here is another from the Lloyd’s Natural History series, published in the late 19th century. This title has 38 plates, representing only a small part of the information in the volume (Most volumes, olumes, covering almost the entire animal kingdom, had 30 or more color plates, about 5 by 7 inches.)

As with other Lloyd titles, this book can be found, usually for under $200. The plates being intact make it desirable.

The Gallery has links to all the plates, both with and without the captions. The images below link to the individual image pages where they are available for download in various sizes for free.

Title: Lloyd’s Natural History. A Hand-Book to the Marsupialia and Monotremata
Author: Richard Lydekker, B.A, F.R.S., Vice-President of the Geological Society, etc.,etc.,etc.
Artist: Various.
Publisher: Edward Lloyd
Date Published: 1896

Great Grey Kangaroo, Macropus giganteus

Black-Tailed Wallaby, Macropus ualabutus

Red-Necked Wallaby Macropus ruficollis

Parry's Wallaby, Macropus parryi

Dama Wallaby, Macropus eugenii

Brush-Tailed Rock-Wallaby Petrogale pencillata

Queensland Tree-Kangaroo, Dorcopsis lumholtzi

Common Rat-Kangaroo, Potorous tridaclylus

Brush-Tailed Rat-Kangaroo, Betton penicillata

Koala, Phascolactus cinereus

Common Phalanger, Trichosurus vulpecula

Common Ring-Tailed Phalanger, Pseudochirus peregrinus

Tasmanian Ring-Tailed Phalanger, Pseudochirus cooki

Taguan Flying Phalanger, Petauroides volans

Squirrel Flying Phalanger, Petaurus sciureus

Lesser Flying Phalanger Petaurus breviceps

Common Dormouse Phalanger, Dromicia nana

Pygmy Flying Phalanger Acrobates pygmaeus

Tasmanian Wombat, Phascolomys ursinus

Common Rabbit Bandicoot, Peragale lagotis

Gunn's Bandicoot, Perameles gunni

Long-Nosed Bandicoot, Perameles nasuta

Short-Nosed Bandicoot, Perameles obesula

Tasmanian Thylacine, Thylacinus cynocephalus

Spotted-Tail Dasyure, Dasyurus maculatus

Common Dasyure, Dasyurus viverrinus

Yellow-Footed Pouched-Mouse, Phascologale flavipes

Brush-Tailed Pouched-Mouse, Phascologale penicillata

Common Pouched-Mouse, Sminthopsis murina

Banded Ant-Eater, Myrmecobius fasciatus

Marsupial Mole, Notoryctes typhlops

Common Opossum, Didelphys marsupialis

Rat-Tailed Opossum, Didelphys nudicaudata

Woolly Opossum, Didelphys lanigera

Three-Striped Opossum, Didelphys americana

Water Opossum, Chironectes minimus

Duck-Bill (Duck-billed Platypus), Ornithorhynchus anatinus

Common Echidna, Echidna aculeata

Carnivora: Cats, Civets, and Mungooses

John — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 03:51:56 +0000

Lloyd’s Natural History, published in the late 19th century, had many volumes, covering almost the entire animal kingdom. The species described are quite comprehensive, and the 32 plates represent only a small part of the information in the volume. Most volumes had 30 or more color plates, about 5 by 7 inches.

As with other Lloyd titles, this book can be found, usually for under $200. The plates being intact make it desirable.

Title: Lloyd’s Natural History. A Hand-Book to the Carnivora. Part I. Cats, Civets, and Mungooses
Author: Richard Lydekker, B.A, F.R.S., Vice-President of the Geological Society, etc.,etc.,etc.
Artist: Various.
Publisher: Edward Lloyd
Date Published: 1896

Lion, Felis leo

Lioness and Cubs, Felis leo

Lion-Tiger, Felis leo (hybrid)

Tiger, Felis tigris

"Tiger and Cubs"

Leopard, or Panther, Felis pardus

Ounce (Snow Leopard), Felis uncia

Jaguar, Felis onca

Puma, Felis concolor

Clouded Leopard, Felis nebulosa

Marbled Cat, Felis marmorata

Fishing Cat, Felis viverrina

Leopard-Cat, Felis bengalensis

Leopard-Cat (Javan Variety), Felis javanensis

Serval, Felis serval

Ocelot, Felis pardalis

Ocelot (variety), Felis pardalis

Tiger-Cat, Felis tigrina

Eyra, Felis eyra

Caffre Cat, Felis caffra

Wild Cat, Felis catus

Colocolo, Felis colocolo

Desert Cat, Felis ornata

Caracal, Felis caracal

Lynx, Felis lynx

Hunting Leopard, Cynaelurus jubatus

Fossa, Cryptoprocta ferox

African Civet, African Civet

Blotched Genet

Hardwicke's Hemigale, Hemigale hardwickii

Common Palm Civet, Paradoxuus hermaphroditus

Egyptian Mungoose, Herpestes ichneumon

Broad-Banded Cusimanse, Crossarchus fasciatus

University of Oldenburg Archive: Mushroom Book

John — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:32:28 +0000

The University of Oldenburg has digitized and made available a wonderfully extensive collection of old children’s books, mostly from the 19th century. I came across the collection a couple of years ago when I was researching an old German children’s picture book a colleague had come across. The title was vague enough to begin with, but even with a fairly accurate (if overly literal) translation I could not find any information. Finally I came across the Oldenburg site, and was very pleased with the extent of titles and images available. I found the book, too, one out of about 400 titles they have scanned and posted.

Oldenburg’s images are not the highest quality. For about 20 euros they will sell you a CD of a title with higher resolution images, which is not a bad deal if you need (or want) them. Most books available for free online will yield usable images of between 800 and 1500 pixels, though, so many people will be perfectly happy with what is available. The images are dirty rough though, and need a lot of cleaning. I here have pulled the images from this 1876 guide to mushrooms. In the GALLERY I have posted two versions of each image: the original and then a copy I have played with to remove the age toning and brighten and sharpen th colors. The originals were not great, so the results are spotty and not great quality, but they give a good idea of what you can find in the Oldenburg archives if you root around. All are cropped to remove the waste area.

Remember, these are artistic renderings from a 130 year old book, so do not use the names or the pictures as a guide to what is or is not edible.

Title: Allgemein verbreitete eßbare und schädliche Pilze mit einigen mikroskopischen Zergliederungen und erläuterndem Text zum Gebrauche in Schule und Haus
Author: Wilhelm von Ahles
Artist: ?
Publisher: Schreiber (?)
Date Published: 1876

The full book is available at the UNIVERSITY OF OLDENBURG

Edited versions of the images are here in the GALLERY.

Following are a few samples of the images:

Agaricus arvensis

Agaricus campestris

Agaricus deliciosus

Agaricus emeticus

Five Hundred Fascinating Animal Stories

John — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 16:18:53 +0000

64 illustrations of fish, birds and mammals.

I found this tattered and broken book in a lot of old books sorted into moldy and decrepit boxes. The book was not salvageable and many plates were missing, but those remaining were free of any major defects or stains. The illustrations of the fish, birds and mammals are not the best quality, but I was able to get good scans without having to any major editing or restoration, and the range of species was good enough for me to make an album out of it.

Title: Five Hundred Fascinating Animal Stories: With Numerous Colored Plates
Author: Alfred H. Miles
Artist: Various.
Publisher: The Christian Herald
Date Published: 1895

The images in the gallery are in the order of fish, birds, and then mammals. Below are some representative images, linked to the gallery page where you can download various high resolution sizes at no cost.

Lobster

Searobin

Sawfish

Blowfish

Moonfish

Crab

Eel

Shaft Tailed Bunting

Emeu Wren

Parrot Finch

Pine Grosbeak

Linnet

Crested Malimbus

Orangutan

Aardvark

Fox Terriers

Polar Bears

Giraffes

Elephants