Grotesque Animals: Invented, Drawn and Described by E.W. Cooke
London: Longmans, Green, 1872. First Edition. Small folio; publisher’s cloth; cover illustrated and titled in gilt; all edges gilt; rebacked with the original spine cloth laid down (the seller’s description noted “hinges strengthened,” but the especially heavy boards clearly required more than simple reinforcement); minor foxing (nearly entirely to the preliminaries); 24 plates, each with two or three illustrations, printing humorous descriptions of each on the opposing leaf; largely an excellent, clean copy of a rare volume. This original, satiric take on Darwin and evolution is remarkably clever and creative. At times bordering on the lampoonish, the illustrations and witty descriptions are surprisingly contemporary.
[Book #36282P]
Price: $2,000.00