Edited by John Irving Davis

Dawson's of Pall Mall, London, 1958
[Source]

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About this Text

The Libellus de Natura Animalium is an early 16th century printed "natural history" text. It was printed between 1508 and 1512 by Vicenzo Berruerio in Mondovi, Italy. It has been attributed to Albertus Magnus, though it is unlikely he had anything to do with it. It is most likely a composite of several earlier works, with probably the primary source being one of the versions of the Physiologus. It begins with the eagle (Aquila tres naturas habet...), and has 51 chapters, each with a woodcut illustration. The animals are all those typically found in the Physiologus, and similar moralizations are also found here.

Copyright

The original text as printed in 1508-1512 is in the public domain. According to the copyright law of most countries a faithful facsimile of a public domain work is also in the public domain, in much the same way that a photocopy of pages from a public domain book is not in itself eligible for copyright protection. This facsimile is therefore assumed to be in the public domain. The introduction by Davis, published in 1958, may still be covered by copyright and so has been omitted.

This work is made available under a
Creative Commons Public Domain mark