New, Complete, and Universal Body, or System of NATURAL HISTORY; Being a Grand, Accurate, and Extensive DISPLAY OF ANIMATED NATURE Containing accurate descriptions and faithful histories of all the several classes of animals, which inhabit the Air, the Earth, and the Water, in the several parts of the world. Including an authentic account of all the infinite variety of beasts, birds, fishes, reptiles, insects, and amphibious creatures, such as frogs, lizards, serpents, etc. And other animals, too numerous to mention in a title page.

1st edition. A Very Good copy. Folio, 618, (ii), illustrated with 85 copper engraved plates (including the frontispiece). Rebound in mid-20th century quarter leather and cloth over boards. Some uneven sunning to the leather spine. Some minor age-toning to the pages, with some offsetting from the plates to the pages opposite. One plate with a small tear to the margin, with small loss; page 77 with a missing corner effecting 6 lines of text. An attractive binding, with an appropriate style of binding for this period. Published in 60 parts. Frontispiece (dated Oct. 29, 1785) and illustrations by various engravers. Not all of the plates are numbered, and they are not in consecutive order, as mentioned in the directions to the binders. Page 618 lists 60 numbered plates and 25 unnumbered ones. Signatures: [A] B-7R . Printed in double columns. Publisher's monogram on title page. "Directions to the book-binder": page 618; ."List of the subscribers": pages [619]-[620]. Wonderfully illustrated plates, of not only animals and plants, but of Human anatomy and even samples of Human emotion. Page 421 mentions the presence of insects in amber.…