Utrecht, Abraham van Paddenburg en J. Van Schoonhoven, 1767-1770. 4to (26.6 x 21.0 cm) [board size 27.5 x 22.0 cm]. General title in red and black, dated 1770; viii, 195, [ii] pp.; ten fine, contemporary hand-coloured engraved plates. Contemporary polished half calf over speckled boards. Spine with triple gilt lines and grained tan morocco label with gilt title.

First Dutch translation of illustrated zoological works by the German naturalist and explorer Peter Simon Pallas (1741-1811) in the extremely rare original hand-coloured edition. The translator, Pieter Boddaert (1730-1796) was a renowned naturalist and zoologist himself. He added many useful comments of his own. Dedicated to another leading Dutch naturalist, Job Baster (1711-1775). The following six chapters, each with an additional dedication leaf, make up the work: De Hartebokken in het algemeen beschouwd (1767; pp. 1-32; plates A-B); Twee uitlandsche vledermuizen (1768; pp. 1-38; plates I-IV); De zeerupsen (1769; pp. 1-35; one large, double-folded plate); De zeeduizendbeenen en zeepissebedden (1769; pp. 1-32; one plate); De groote zandkoker, een nieuwe zoort van tor, en eene verhandeling over de oost-indische buidelrat en miereneter (1770; pp. 1-30; one plate); Het geslacht der poulepeintades, de kuifhoenderen en de gekuifde zeepapegaai (1770; pp. 1-28; one plate), concluded with a two pp. index to all six parts. Nissen erroneously claims that the fifth chapter should have two plates, but there is only one and in the text there is no reference to a second plate. Our copy entirely agrees with the detailed description in Landwehr. Edges uncut. Boards with some age wear at the edges, otherwise a very good, complete, clean and unmarked copy. The colouring delicate and accurate. Very rare. Only two auction records of a coloured copy in the last 70 years. Cat. BM(NH) p. 1504 ["Wanting"]; Landwehr, 152; Nissen ZBI, 3072.