A presentation of divers strange and rare beests

This unique assortment of rare and often amusing 18th-century engravings should make the perfect collector's item for animal lovers and bibliophiles alike. A German art dealer, engraver and painter of miniatures, Johann Daniel Meyer published his three-volume magnum opus "The Pleasant and Usefull Pastime of Studying Curious Presentations of All Kyndes of Creeping, Flying and Swimming Beests Living and Eating on Land and in the Water", between the years 1748 and 1756.

Within the pages of this work lay a collection of more than 200 painstakingly depicted meerkats, horned hares, parrots and other exotic fauna, along with "scientific" descriptions of their anatomy, bone structure and physical characteristics.

Published prior to the establishment of zoos and the intervention of photography, works such as Meyer's offered the only glimpse of exotic animals from faraway lands.