Spada, Giovanni Giacomo | First edition of Spada’s illustrated catalogue of Veronese fossils

Spada, Giovanni Giacomo

Corporum lapidefactorum agri Veronensis catalogus quae apud Joannem Jacobum Spadam Gretianae archipresbyterum asservantur. Verona: Dionisio Ramanzini, 1744

4to (289 x 208 mm). 20 engraved plates, some folding; occasional light dampstaining. Contemporary vellum.

First edition of this work by the Veronese naturalist Giovanni Giacomo Spada, describing and illustrating the fossils preserved in his celebrated cabinet of natural curiosities. Spada’s catalogue is among the earliest systematic attempts to record the rich fossil deposits of the Veronese hills, reflecting the region’s pivotal role in eighteenth-century paleontological study.