Each book presented here has been chosen for its scientific and artistic
merit, and each one is accompanied by an essay from a museum expert,
explaining its role in the development of natural history. The books
featured include the oldest book in the Library, the 1469 edition of
Pliny the Elder's Historia Naturalis; Albertus Seba's striking
Locupletissimi Rerum published from 1734; Mark Catesby's The History
of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, the first published
account of the flora and fauna of this area; and the stunning line
drawings from Napoleon's expedition to Egypt in 1798. The Library of the
Natural History Museum contains one of the most exciting and
comprehensive collections of natural history literature and artworks to
be found anywhere in the world.