SNAKES; Curiosities & Wonders of Serpent Life (1882-1st) Catherine Cooper Hopley

Description: Snakes: Curiosities and Wonders of Serpent Life [First Edition] Hopley, Catherine Cooper. Published in London by Griffith and Farran, 1882. First Edition, First Issue, with publisher's catalogue dated 10/81 to the rear of the book. Bound in the original illustrated cloth, worn, with splitting to the spine edges, bumping to the corners and spine ends. Inner hinges cracked. Previous owner's plate to the inner cover (Edgar Gilkes - the locomotive manufacturer who became mayor of Middlesbrough in 1863). Attractively illustrated endpapers. Block sound, though with scattered foxing of varying degrees to the pages. Catherine Cooper Hopley (5 October 1817 – 1911), also known by the pen-name Sarah L. Jones, was a British author, governess, artist, and naturalist known for her books on the American Civil War and her nature books for general audiences, including the first popular book on snakes in the English language. Good/None. RARE Title. The British Quarterly Review described Snakes as "the most thorough, the most complete, and the most popularly readable that has been published in English on the subject."Snakes includes detailed observation of feeding behaviour in snakes, including the mechanism by which Xenodon snakes erect their teeth in a viper-like fashion, an observation that predates those by E. G. Boulenger (generally credited with the description) by over 30 years. Snakes: Curiosities & Wonders of Serpent Life, by naturalist and artist Catherine Hopley, is a fascinating examination of the snake, from anatomy and biology, to common myths, to individual species and habits, and even speculation on "the great sea serpents." In the late 19th century, snakes were considered mysterious, evil creatures, stained from the sin in the Garden of Eden. Hopley's careful study shed new light on creatures long-thought to be vicious and deadly. When this book appeared over a hundred and forty years ago, in 1882, it was a remarkable event. The result was an interesting and scientifically insightful book on the curiosities of serpent life. It mixed Hopley's keen sense for observations and facts with her wonderful illustrations.

Price: 299.99 GBP

Location: Norwich

End Time: 2024-12-07T11:23:48.000Z

Shipping Cost: 63.4 GBP