We are all looking forward to a little break over the holidays, but wanted to share a book that has captured everyone’s attention in the lab this week: Edward Topsell’s History of Four-footed Beasts and Serpents from 1658. Originally published in two volumes in 1607 and 1608 (Beasts and Serpents, respectively), this is the first collected edition. It describes both real and fantastic animals, including delightful woodcut illustrations, like the camels below.
This copy has been digitized by the Internet Archive, so you can see and read about all of the other animals here: https://archive.org/details/historyoffourfoo00tops
Thanks for reading in 2025. Have a safe and happy holiday. We’ll see you in the new year!