quas in itinere per Brasiliam annis MDCCCXVII - MDCCCXX.
Munich, Franc. Seraph. Hubschmann, 1824-25.
The scarce first edition of this superb ornithological record of Spix's natural history exploration of Brazil, with more than 220 hand-coloured plates.
From his expedition to Brazil, Spix brought a large variety of specimens of plants, insects, mammals, birds, amphibians and fish to Germany, which now constitute an important basis for today's National Zoological Collection in Munich.
In 1817, Spix and Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius travelled to Brazil with a group of Austrian naturalists who accompanied Maria Leopoldina of Austria. First they went to Rio de Janeiro, but soon they left the Austrian group and travelled on their own through Brazil. Spix and Martius travelled from south Rio de Janeiro to north São Paulo, accompanied by the Austrian painter Thomas Ender. Then they continued to Ouro Preto and Diamantina, in the province of Minas Gerais, where they described the mining of diamonds. From there, they went further into the continent and then back to the coast of Salvador.
They crossed the dry Caatinga in northeast Brazil, suffered from different severe diseases and several times almost died of thirst. During the whole journey, they collected and described animals and plants, but also everything else of scientific interest. They also described indigenous people and their habits, as well as anything of possible economic importance. They also investigated the giant Bendegó meteorite and discovered the fossil fishes of the Santana Formation.
The last part of the expedition was the journey up to the Amazon river, then in the Captaincy of Grão-Pará. There Spix and Martius went on separate routes to explore the region. Spix went to Tabatinga, to the border of Peru, and from Manaus upwards the Negro river. Martius shipped the Yupurá river and there he brought to Munich two Brazilian indigenous children from two different tribes, Juri and Miranha. The children where baptised Johannes and Isabella. They returned in 1820 to Munich with specimens of thousands of plants, animals and ethnological objects.
First edition; 2 vols; large 4to (37.5 x 30.8 cm); 222 hand-coloured lithographed plates by Matthias Schmidt, plates captioned in Latin and French, additional ms captions in English, some foxing to text leaves, light spotting to plates, short closed tear to fore-edge of final plate in volume II; modern red morocco gilt, gilt lettering to spines, spine of volume I slightly sunned, bookplate to front pastedowns, original wrappers bound in.
Anker 483; Borba de Moraes 2:828; Fine Bird Books, p.109; Nissen IVB 891; Zimmer, p.600.
From his expedition to Brazil, Spix brought a large variety of specimens of plants, insects, mammals, birds, amphibians and fish to Germany, which now constitute an important basis for today's National Zoological Collection in Munich.
In 1817, Spix and Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius travelled to Brazil with a group of Austrian naturalists who accompanied Maria Leopoldina of Austria. First they went to Rio de Janeiro, but soon they left the Austrian group and travelled on their own through Brazil. Spix and Martius travelled from south Rio de Janeiro to north São Paulo, accompanied by the Austrian painter Thomas Ender. Then they continued to Ouro Preto and Diamantina, in the province of Minas Gerais, where they described the mining of diamonds. From there, they went further into the continent and then back to the coast of Salvador.
They crossed the dry Caatinga in northeast Brazil, suffered from different severe diseases and several times almost died of thirst. During the whole journey, they collected and described animals and plants, but also everything else of scientific interest. They also described indigenous people and their habits, as well as anything of possible economic importance. They also investigated the giant Bendegó meteorite and discovered the fossil fishes of the Santana Formation.
The last part of the expedition was the journey up to the Amazon river, then in the Captaincy of Grão-Pará. There Spix and Martius went on separate routes to explore the region. Spix went to Tabatinga, to the border of Peru, and from Manaus upwards the Negro river. Martius shipped the Yupurá river and there he brought to Munich two Brazilian indigenous children from two different tribes, Juri and Miranha. The children where baptised Johannes and Isabella. They returned in 1820 to Munich with specimens of thousands of plants, animals and ethnological objects.
First edition; 2 vols; large 4to (37.5 x 30.8 cm); 222 hand-coloured lithographed plates by Matthias Schmidt, plates captioned in Latin and French, additional ms captions in English, some foxing to text leaves, light spotting to plates, short closed tear to fore-edge of final plate in volume II; modern red morocco gilt, gilt lettering to spines, spine of volume I slightly sunned, bookplate to front pastedowns, original wrappers bound in.
Anker 483; Borba de Moraes 2:828; Fine Bird Books, p.109; Nissen IVB 891; Zimmer, p.600.
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