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Antonio Parra, 1787
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Descripcion de Diferentes Piezas de Historia Natural
Antonio Parra, 1787
PARRA, Antonio (1737-?). Descripcion de Diferentes Piezas de Historia Natural, las Mas del Ramo Maritimo. Havana, Cuba: Imprenta de la Capitania General, 1787.
First edition of the first scientific book printed in Cuba, a beautiful example of early Cuban printing and illustration, in a contemporary Cuban binding. Parra, a native of Portugal, first came to Havana in the 1760s. Captivated by the natural history of the island, he began to collect specimens—some of which he sold to the natural history museum in Madrid, and others he used to create a sort of cabinet of curiosities in his home in Havana. This is his most important work, described by Cuvier as "one of the most useful books in the study of the fishes of the Gulf of Mexico, not only on account of the text, but also on account of the very exact figures representing them." The striking illustrations are by the author's son, Manuel, and depict fish, turtles, and crustaceans observed along the Cuban shoreline. The final section contains three alarming illustrations of an enslaved man identified as Domingo Fernández, who is suffering from scrotal lymphedema. A landmark of Caribbean printing and natural history. Sabin 58835. Palau 213307. Nissen 3094. Trelles, Bibliografia Cubana, pp.149-50.
Quarto (201 x 144mm). 2 folding plates and 73 single-page engraved plates, woodcut ornaments (a few stains, one small marginal repair). Contemporary Cuban mottled calf, flat spine gilt (some minor cracking to spine). Cloth box. Provenance: printed library label on front pastedown – Boston Society of Natural History (blindstamp on title).
Antonio Parra, 1787
PARRA, Antonio (1737-?). Descripcion de Diferentes Piezas de Historia Natural, las Mas del Ramo Maritimo. Havana, Cuba: Imprenta de la Capitania General, 1787.
First edition of the first scientific book printed in Cuba, a beautiful example of early Cuban printing and illustration, in a contemporary Cuban binding. Parra, a native of Portugal, first came to Havana in the 1760s. Captivated by the natural history of the island, he began to collect specimens—some of which he sold to the natural history museum in Madrid, and others he used to create a sort of cabinet of curiosities in his home in Havana. This is his most important work, described by Cuvier as "one of the most useful books in the study of the fishes of the Gulf of Mexico, not only on account of the text, but also on account of the very exact figures representing them." The striking illustrations are by the author's son, Manuel, and depict fish, turtles, and crustaceans observed along the Cuban shoreline. The final section contains three alarming illustrations of an enslaved man identified as Domingo Fernández, who is suffering from scrotal lymphedema. A landmark of Caribbean printing and natural history. Sabin 58835. Palau 213307. Nissen 3094. Trelles, Bibliografia Cubana, pp.149-50.
Quarto (201 x 144mm). 2 folding plates and 73 single-page engraved plates, woodcut ornaments (a few stains, one small marginal repair). Contemporary Cuban mottled calf, flat spine gilt (some minor cracking to spine). Cloth box. Provenance: printed library label on front pastedown – Boston Society of Natural History (blindstamp on title).
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Christina Geiger
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