Agassiz, Louis, et. al.; Bibliographia Zoologiae et Geologiae. A General Catalogue of all Books, Tracts, and Memoirs on Zoology and Geology. London, Printed for The Ray Society, 1848-1852.

Agassiz, Louis, et. al.; Bibliographia Zoologiae et Geologiae. A General Catalogue of all Books, Tracts, and Memoirs on Zoology and Geology. London, Printed for The Ray Society, 1848-1852. Large octavo, Vol. 1, pp. XXIII, 506. Vol. 2, pp.  492. Vol. 3, pp. 658. Vol. 4, pp. 604,18.

The set is complete and in the original stamped cloth with gilt spine titles and gilt Ray Society seal on covers and yellow end sheets. The bindings are tight and clean, the texts clean with just minor foxing to some page margins. The original owner’s family crest book plate on paste down and second owner’s family crest book plate on first free leaf. Over all a very good set of this rare work.

In this thoroughly researched work, Agassiz provides an alphabetically arranged author catalogue of books, tracts, and memoirs on zoology and geology which provides a comprehensive source for both sciences before 1850.
Agassiz’s “Bibliographia Zoologiae et Geologiae” is a now little known work and that is based on the misunderstanding that such an old bibliography can have little value today. But true researchers know this is not a valid assumption. As a meticulously researched work, the amount of knowledge found in the early literature that is included here is staggering. Many early works that have been forgotten and yet remain important to this day are included. It is hard to find anything that Agassiz missed. Louis Agassiz’s original index was augmented and prepared for publication by the Ray Society by Hugh Strickland and later by Jardine, after Strickland’s death..