2 volumes, 4to (336 x 235 mm). Plates and explanatory text bound separately; lithographed title in plate volume; 103 lithographed plates, all but one with hand-coloring. (Title leaf to text volume slightly soiled, some minor mostly marginal soiling or very light spotting to a few plates.) Contemporary cloth-backed boards (lightly rubbed). Provenance: Freiherrn G. A. von Liebenstein (bookplates and shelfmarks).

FIRST EDITION of Schinz's lavishly illustrated survey of most of the known genera and species of reptiles and amphibians extant at the time of publication. The work was part of a larger natural history series by Schinz including volumes on mammals, birds, and fishes. The designer of the plates, Carl Joseph Drodtman, was known for the exacting scientific details and fine aesthetic presentation of images on a plate. Nissen ZBI 3671.