Reise nach Palästina in den Jahren von 1749 bis 1752. auf Befehl ihro Majestät der Königinn von Schweden herausgegeben vond Carl Linnäus aus em Schwedischen.

DESCRIPTION

8 vo. [18], 606 pp. woodcut tailpieces, contemporary full calf, rubbed, old library stamp on title page, from the library of Professor Eberhardt, paper slightly browned, otherwise copy in very good condition, Rostock, Johann Gottlob Immanuel Breitkopf, 1762. Originally written in Latin by the Swedish zoologist and botanist Friedrich Hasselquist (1722-1752) and published posthumously by the celebrated naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778). First edition of the German translation of a travelogue and zoological work. Hasselquist arrived at Smyrna, where he spent the winter of 1749-1750 exploring the hinterland. In March 1750 he took a trip into the interior of Turkey, and afterwards sailed for Egypt. From Egypt he travelled to Palestine and Syria, visited Cyprus, Rhodes and Chios, and then returned to Smyrna". The work can be divided into two parts. The first part consists of a chronological journal, followed by 14 letters from Hasselquist to his tutor Linnaeus. The second part contains a zoological, botanical and mineralogical description of the area, starting with the four-footed animals, followed by birds, amphibians, fish, insects, plants and stones. Especially his descriptions of fishes in the Nile are very valuable. Ref: Palaestinensis 472; Howgego, to 1800, H33; cf. Atabey 564 (English edition); Blackmer 668 (French edition); Hage Chahine, 2134 (French edition).