Edward Topsell
Edward Topsell (circa 1572 – 1625) was an English cleric and author best remembered for his bestiary.
Topsell was born and educated in
(1604). He was the author of books on religious and moral themes, including The Reward of Religion (1596) and Time's Lamentation (1599), among others.Topsell's The History of Four-footed Beasts (1607) and The History of Serpents (1608), both published by
Topsell's work is remembered chiefly for its detailed and vigorous illustrations, including the famous image known as Dürer's Rhinoceros. The illustrations have been widely reproduced in many contexts, and Topsell's bestiary has been reprinted in various modern editions, usually in greatly reduced form.
Superstitions about actual animals
Topsell, repeating ancient legends, assigns exotic attributes to actual animals. He writes, for example, that:
- True toads have a toadstone in their heads that protects people from poison.[4]
- Weaselsgive birth through their ears.
- Lemmings graze in the clouds.
- mandrake.
- snails.
Of the
Fantastic animals
Relying on the authority of "sundry learned men", Topsell includes the
Other quotations
"It is as necessary, or rather more necessary, for most men to know how to take mice, than how to take elephants."[6]
Gallery from The History of the Four-footed Beasts and Serpents, 1658
-
Rhinoceros woodcut -
African Bugil-Cow woodcut -
Baboon-Tartarine woodcut -
Bloodhound woodcut -
Sea-Horse woodcut -
Tiger woodcut
See also
References
- ^ The householder, or, perfect man: preached in three sermons (1610).
- ^ "Topsell, Edward (TPSL587E)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- ^ "No. 1586: Topsell's Beasts". Uh.edu. 1 August 2004. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
- ^ Ley, Willy (December 1963). "The Names of the Constellations". For Your Information. Galaxy Science Fiction. pp. 90–99.
- ^ "No. 1586: Topsell's Beasts". Uh.edu. 1 August 2004. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
- ^ (Auden & Kronenberger 1966)
Bibliography
- Auden, W.H.; Kronenberger, Louis (1966), The Viking Book of Aphorisms, New York: Viking Press
- Topsell, Edward, ed. (1658). The history of four-footed beasts and serpents. London: E. Cotes.
External links
- Topsell’s Beasts
- USL Rare Books: TOPSELL, Edward. The History of four-footed beasts and serpents
- Page at University of Reading
- 175 images from Topsell's book, The History of Four-Footed Beasts and Serpents, can be viewed at the University of Houston Digital Library
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