Innes First Edition...signed

[Innesfan]

Since the subject of 'old books' attracted some interest on another thread, I thought I'd share some photos of a prized possession--a First Edition of Innes's Exotic Aquarium Fishes, 1935, signed by the author. He inscribed the book to Louis Mowbray, former director of the Bermuda Aquarium and later holding the same position at Boston Aquarium and New York Aquarium. He has a wikipedia page. The edition is exceptional for several reasons including a supplement that was belatedly added a day before the galleys went to the binder. Said supplement documented the very first successful spawning of Discus in 1935. I purchased this for $30 many years ago. One of the smartest things I did when I was young.

 

[GaryE]

A signed copy of the fishkeepers' bible. That's very cool to see.

 

[Innesfan]

A signed copy of the fishkeepers' bible. That's very cool to see.

Funny you should say that. My Danish uncle who gifted me my first copy--the 19th edition, 1956--when I was 7, referred to it as the 'Aquarium Bible.' I see from wikipedia and elsewhere, he wasn't the only one. That term was really in common usage. And well-deserved.

 

[elephantnose3334]

Funny you should say that. My Danish uncle who gifted me my first copy--the 19th edition, 1956--when I was 7, referred to it as the 'Aquarium Bible.' I see from wikipedia and elsewhere, he wasn't the only one. That term was really in common usage. And well-deserved.

Are there any nice illustrations on the book?

 

[Innesfan]

Are there any nice illustrations on the book?

From the wikipedia entry on Innes. The paragraph about the book:

"Beautifully produced with many lavish elements by his own printing firm, and written in a simple but elegant and compelling style by Innes alone, the book also included photographs taken by Innes for each of the fish species. He had decided that the Kodachrome film of the day required too much light and did not accurately show the true colors of various fishes. Instead, he shot black-and-white photographs that were hand-painted, test-printed, and then repainted to fine-tune the color for publication."

These hand-colored photographs became iconic in many cases. The book also featured b&w photography and a few oil or watercolor illustrations, see N. unifasciatus below. Also, for the first time for an aquarium book, every species had its own page(s) and photo/illustration.