E W Cooke — Grotesque Animals

London, Longmans, Green, and Co. 1872. Cloth. A fantastic copy of Edward William Cooke's noted creative work Grotesque Animals&apos. Cooke's work depicts imaginary creatures who have been created through combining elements from marine and terrestrial fossils as well as living specimens. Collated, complete with all 24 plates. Every plate has an accompanying description providing the witty name of the creatures and their contributing features. A very bright copy of Edward Cooke's satirical take on Darwin and evolution. This work is frequently compared to the 'nonsense botany' of Edward Lear. Rebacked, as is often common with this work as it was in a gutta-percha binding. Edward William Cooke was one of the leading maritime artists of his time. He held a great personal interest in natural history and was a member of the Zoological society of London as well as the Linnean Society. An important work.  In the publisher's original binding. Rebacked with the original spine laid down. Externally, very smart with light rubbing to the extremities. A few light spots tp the boards. One large mark to the front board. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are bright. Occasional light spots to pages. Very Good Indeed . Ill.: None. Very Good Indeed .