Charleton, Walther; Onomasticon Zoicon, Plerorumque Animalium Differentias & Nomina Propria pluribus linguis exponens. Cui accedunt Mantissa Anatomica; Et quædam De Variis Fossilivm Generibus. Autore Gualtero Charletono, M.D. Caroli II. Magnæ Britanniæ Regis, Medico Ordinario, & Collegii Medicorum Londinensiuns Socio. Londini, Apud Jacobum Allestry Regalis Societatis Typographum. MDCLXVIII. Quarto, pp. 20, 309, 1, index 34 pages, 8 leaves of plates (seven folded), text figures.
This rare work is complete and in a 19th century full calf with ornate gilt tooling on covers and spine, gilt spine titles. The binding is very clean, text is toned at margins, early penned notes on rear end sheet, clear archival repair to center of half title page with no loss of page or half title. In very good condition.
FREE SHIPPING ON ALL BOOKS

Walther Charleton (1619-1707) was an English physician and naturalist and founding member of the Royal Society of London.  He devoted much of his life to writing about various subjects including the atomic philosophy, a doctrine which was not widely accepted during his time.
His work “Onomasticon Zoicon” was a much celebrated natural history classic and a dictionary of living things. It is a work of natural taxonomy, and Charleton gives the English, Latin and Greek names of all manner of natural things. It is the first English book to provide illustrations of the English birds it describes. In addition to listings of quadrupeds, insects, birds and fish, the text includes in the third and final section an early and important list of fossils.
During this time, a fossil referred to anything dug from the earth, and consequently many of the descriptions are of minerals and precious stones. Among those fossils listed are fossilized fish and shells, agate, chalcedony, sardonyx, diamond, carbuncle, garnet, sapphire, emerald, gold, silver, copper, tin, iron. Under a heading of mixed metals Charleton discusses galena, pyrite, chrysocholla, and various lead spars.