Rare, second, expanded edition of a finely illustrated monograph on fossil sponges of France

Courtiller, A.

Éponges fossiles des Sables du terrain Crétacé supérieur des environs de Saumur. Étage Sénonien de d'Orbigny suivies des nullipores a squelette silicieux de l'étage Sénonien.

Published 1874
Item ID 71443
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Paris, Savy, 1874. Very large 8vo (27.0 x 18.8 cm). 54 pp. (including two half-titles and title page), 109 [98, 8bis, 21bis, 22bis; 8] lithographed plates, including one very large, triple-folded. Contemporary half morocco over marbled boards. Spine with five raised bands. Compartments with gilt floral vignettes and title. Marbled endpapers. Sprinkled edges.

An important and very rare publication, consisting of two parts. The first, with 48 pp. and 101 plates, deals with sponges; pp. 49-54, and eight plates (numbered 1-8) deal with silicious "nullipores" which are marine lithophytes, or algae. This is the second and last edition, which was greatly expanded by the author. The first edition (1861), with just 40 plates, is rare as well. Both contain the description and illustration of many new, usually well-preserved species. The "nullipores" part was first published in 1862 in the Annales de la Société Linnéenne de Maine et Loire, volume 5, and is also reworked here. Auguste Courtiller (1795-1875) was a French palaeontologist, malacologist, Porifera-expert and viticulturist. Muscat de Saumur was first cultivated by him in 1842, created by selecting seedlings from a Pinot Noir Précoce vine with open pollination. He worked in the Jardin des Plantes of the city of Saumur (see Wikipedia). Armorial bookplate of D. Comitia St. Exupéry on the front pastedown. Slight rubbing to the boards, one text section somewhat age-toned. Otherwise a very good, clean copy. We could find no references to this edition - which was published just prior to the author's death - on any book or auction site. The Cat. BM(NH) only lists the first editions. Not in Nissen.

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