Tentamen methodi ostracologicae sive dispositio naturalis cochlidum et concharum in suas classes, genera et species. [AND] Lucubratiuncula de formatione, cremento et coloribus testarum, quae sunt cochlidum et concharum, [AND] Commentariolum in locum Plinii Hist. Natur. Libr. IX. Cap. XXXIII. [AND] Sciagraphia methodi ad genus Serpentium ordinate digerendum.

Leiden, G. J. Wishoff, 1753. Three works in one volume. 4to (24.7 x 19.6 cm). [3], [5], 177, [5]. [18], [4]; [6], 44; 16, (2) pp.; 12 engraved plates (to first work), and one engraved plate in the text (in second work), a few text vignettes. Contemporary mottled half calf over speckled boards, spine with five raised bands, gilt linings and gilt and black lettered morocco and vellum labels. Edges marbled. = Early, widely followed conchological classification. Even after the acceptance of Linnaeus' 10th edition of the Systema Naturae as the starting point of zoological nomenclature, many of the "Kleinian" names remained accepted. Jacob Theodore Klein (1685-1759) was trained as a mathematician, lawyer and diplomat. However he also was very interested in natural history and privately gathered an enormous collection of natural history specimens. His Tentamen methodi ostracologicae is a detailed systematic work on shells, based partly on earlier observations by Buonanni and Rumphius. The second section of the book deals with colouring of shells, the third is a comment on the work of Plini. The forth, on a single page, proposed a new classification of the snakes. "Klein coined the word herpetology" (Adler). The engraved plates show a total of 228 specimens. Without the often missing portrait. Boards rubbed; a few text sections with scattered foxing; some near contemporary annotations on the first text page; red ruled lines beneath the genera. An old owner's s signature (dated 1797) on the front pastedown. Foxing to some parts of the text pages throughout, but far less pronounced as we have seen in other copies, which are usually quite bad. The plates are clean. In all, a very good, complete copy in nice condition. Adler I, pp. 9-10. Cat. BM(NH) II, p. 992; Nissen ZBI, 2211.