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The Symbolic Literature of the Renaissance

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[These pages are under construction. Contributions are welcome and will be acknowledged.  For details see here]

Aelian Historia Animalium Zurich: 1586

Translated by Conrad Gesner.

Albertus, Magnus de animalibus Lyons: Opera Omnia, 1621

Another German edition, illustrated, Frankfurt: 1545.

Aldrovandi, Ulisse Ornithologiae, hoc est de avibus histoeiae, libri XII Bologna: 1599

------------------------ Bologna: 1600

------------------------ Bologna: 1603

Aneau and Gueroult, Decades de la description …des animaulx Lyons: Arnoullet, 1549     

Anon Il libro de la Natura de li animali Mondovi: Berruerius, 1504

Issued in both Latin and Italian editions. Originally attributed to Albertus Magnus it is a probably a compilation of many medieval writers. Another edition Savona: Berruerius, 1524. Only one copy is known of this edition. Second Latin edition with the original woodcuts

Anon Les Dictz des Bestes et Aussi des Oyseaulx Paris: Alain Lotrian, before September 1527

First illustrated edition

Anon The Physiologus of St. Epiphanius See Epiphanius

Also 1587 and 1588 editions. Another edition in Greek-Latin with commentaries of Nicolas Caussin, Paris: 1618.

Aristotle De animalibus Basel: Opera Omnia, 1548

------------------------Historia general de aves y animales Valencia: 1621

Bartholomeus, Anglicus Encyclopedia, Book XI on the animals Toulouse: Fray Vicente de Burgos, 1494

Another edition in Latin, Augsburg: 1505; Another edition in English, trans and annotation by J. Batman, London: 1571.

Belon, P. L’histoire de la nature des oyseauz Paris: Corrozet, 1555

------------------------Portraits d'oyseaux, animaux, serpens, herbes, arbes, hommes et femmes Paris: Cavellat, 1557

Bochart, Samuel Hierozoicon London: 1663

Camerarius, Joachim Symbolorum & Emblematum Centuria 1590

(a Century of Symbols and Emblems)  This was actually a book of devices and Camerarius used the word symbol, device and emblem interchangeably. 
more

Caussin, Nicholas De Symbolica Aegyptorum Sapienta 1618

(On the Symbolic Wisdom of the Egyptians) included the Physiologus

Chastel, Roger, and Paul Eluard Bestiare Paris: Maeght, 1949

de Cuba, Jean Jardin de Santé

The second part of this book is a volucrary or book of birds.

Cortes, Jeronimo Libro y tratado de los animales Valencia: 1615

Dryden, John The Hind and the Panther 1687

Dyalogus Creaturarum moralizatus Gerard, Leeu: Gouda, 1480     

Several later editions including one in the vernacular Dutch including the first book printed in Sweden by Snell in 1483.  Written in the late 14th century the author is unknown though two names have been suggested: Mayno de Mayneri and Nicholas Pergamen.
Another edition Antwerp: Jan van Doesborch, 1528

-----------------------Destructorium vitiorum ex similitudunum creaturarum Lyon: Nourry, 1509

1st French ed.

Elliott, T. J. A Medieval Bestiary Godine, 1971

Epiphanius Eis ton physiologin [greek] - Ad physiologum Rome: Zanetti & Ruffinelli, 1587

2nd ed in Antwerp: Plantin, 1588 Online Facsimile at University of Victoria

more

Faultrier, Jean Baptiste Traitté general des oyseaux Paris: 1660

Ferrer de Valdecebro, Andrés Gobiero general, moral y politico, hallado en las fieras y animales syvlestres Madrid: 1658

-----------------------Gobierno general, moral y politico, hallado en las aves añadido con las aves monstruosas Madrid: 1683

Frasconi, Antonio A Literary Bestiary Stinchour Press, 1996

Gesner, Conrad Historia Animalium Zurich: Froschauer, 1551-1558, 1604, 1617-1620, 1669

English translation with modifications by Edward Topsell The History of four-footed Beasts London: 1607, 1658

------------------------Vogelbuch. Thierbuch. Fischbuch. 3 Werke in 1 Bd. Zurich: Froschauer, 1557

First editions in German, illustrated with c. 1,000 fine woodcuts.

Isadore of Seville Etymologiae, Book XII on the animals Madrid: Edito Optima, 1599

With commentaries by various authors.

Jonston, Jan. Historiae Naturalis De Avibus Libri VI Frankfurt: 1650

Marcuello, Francesco Historia natural y moral de las aves Madrid: 1617

Nieremberg, J.E. Historia naturae, maxime peregrinae Antwerp: 1635

Philes Versus iambici de animalium proprietate, cum auctario Heidelberg: Joachimi Camerarii, 1596

Pliny Historia naturalis in Latin Venice: 1479, 1491, 1496 Treviso: 1479, 1483; In Italian Venice 1476, 1481.

------------------------ Naturalis Historia. Books XII on the animals Harduin, ed. Paris: 1685

Another edition in German with illutrations, Frankfurt: 1565; Another edition in Spanish, by Jerónimo de Huerta, Madrid: 1621.

Plutarch Moralia: De solertia animalium c100AD

Reynard the Fox / Reinke de Vos / Speculum vitae aulicae (tr. Hartman Schopper) Frankfurt: Bassaeus, 1584

Latin version of the popular German beast epic narrating the adventures of Reynard the Fox.
Another edition Wolfenbuttel: Freytag, 1711
Another edition London: Brewster, 1701-1681-84. First edition of "The Shifts of Reynardine."

------------------------De sollertia animalum Greek-Latin, tr. by Guilielmus Xylander Basel: 1571

Another edition in Spanish by de Diego Gracián: Salamanca: 1571; Another ed. in French by Jacques Amyot, Paris: 1612; Another ed. in English by Philemon Holland, London: 1603 .

Ramirez de Carrion, Maravillas de naturaleza Cordoba: 1629

Schaller, Georg Ein neuw Thierbuch ... Folgendts gerissen durch J. Amman Frankfurt: 1579

Another ed., Frankfurt: 1579.

Simson, Archibald Hieroglyphica animalium Edimburgo: 1622

Solinus Rerum memorabilium Basel: 1543

Latin, with commentary by P. Olivares; Another edition in Spanish by Christóbal de las Casas, Seville: 1573.

Spenser Mother Hubbard’s Tale 1591

Ursin, Jean Prosopopeia animalium aliquot Vienne: Bonhomme, 1541


Werdmiller, Otho Similitudines ab omni animalium genere desumptae Zurich: 1555

Wilbur, Richard, and Alexa Calder A Bestiary New York: Pantheon, 1955

Wotton, Edward De differentiis animalium libri decem Paris: 1552

Links:

The Aberdeen Bestiary
Bestiary.ca/prisources/psbiblio869.htm
Some examples of bestiaries