LINNAEUS, C.

Mantissa Plantarum altera generum editionis VI. & specierum editionis II.

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Holmiae, L. Salvii, 1771. pp. (6), 143-588. Contemporary half calf, gilt ornamented spine with giltlettered label.

Already in 1916 Dr. W. Junk stated: 'Jetzt fast unauffindbar' and in his '5o Jahre Antiquar' he calls it a 'Rarissimum'

A fine copy of the second 'Mantissa' which was published separately, in a much too small edition. It is an indispensable supplement to the 'Species Plantarum'. It also contains tucked away a zoological appendix, in fact the second appendix 'Regni animalis appendix' (pp. 521-552). W. Junk in 1935 made a reprint of these two appendices 'Linné Systema Naturae: Appendices Zoologicae. Holmiae 1768-1771. together with a commentary. "Der II. Nachtrag enthält auf 32 Seiten 123 Tiere (34 Vertebrata, 49 Insekten... und 40 Vermes, die allerdings grössenteils Mollusken sind" (Junk p. 8).

The second 'Mantissa' is a very rare item. Already in 1916 Dr. W. Junk stated: 'Jetzt fast unauffindbar' and in his '5o Jahre Antiquar' he calls it a 'Rarissimum'.
"Linnaeus should be granted the last word on his taxonomic method. The preface to the second part of his 'Mantissa', dated 1 September 1771, contains this summary, composed in 'the twilight of his life'. It is given here in Svenson's translation (1945): 'Some botanists talk loudly about the 'Natural Orders' in place of a method, but so long as there is no essential character of an order, by which the genera can be combined or distinguished from those of different orders, these orders remain as a bell without a clapper. However, their use in other respects may be of the greatest importance' (Stafleu, Linnaeus and the Linnaeans p. 139). Small piece of paper cut away and replaced at the lower margin of the title-page not affecting the text.

Provenance: Stamp of Joh. Eustach von Görtz, Prussian diplomat (1737-1821) on title-page.

Hunt 596; Hulth 25; Sandberg, A catalogue of the works of Linnaeus no. 114; Stafleu & Cowan 4831.