London, The Trustees of the British Museum, 1876. Folio (32.5 x 25.2 cm). xii, 88 pp.; 70 fine lithographed plates, several larger, and folded. Original green pebbled and blind-tooled cloth. Gilt title on the spine.

One of the rarer of Richard Owen's works. Important monograph on the fossil reptiles of South Africa with all the fine plates. Included is a peculiar table of the fossiliferous strata of the earth, with names of the sections and their principle fossils, emphasising Vertebrata, and topped with an engraving of a church and some trees. Both the vertebrate bias and the Christian icon are very much Owen. The text leaves were issued in a shorter format than the plates and therefore they have been mounted and alternatingly placed against the top and bottom edge, as published. Skilful repair to spine ends. Small, weak blind-stamps in the fore margins of the plates; Library label (cancelled) tipped in before front free endpaper. A very good, complete copy. Nissen ZBI, 3035. Not in Wood.