#visboek

Found here.

Adriaen Coenen’s Visboek, or Fishbook, explores the curious, the mysterious, the magical and the colorful of underwater life. A fisherman and fish auctioneer, Coenen began writing this 400+ page book in 1577 in his seaside village of Scheveningen, Holland. The book is a collage of scientific facts from the time, folklore, and imagination. The ink and watercolor illustrations detail sealife from mermaids and mermen to sea monsters to sea turtles to rare fish rumored to have washed ashore on distant lands to familiar edible fish from the coast Holland. The National Library of the Netherlands has the entire book online, including a book tour with details about some of the folios. Guaranteed for some good sea-lore and ocean-inspiration.

Double-page spreads from Adriaen Coenen’s Visboek (Fish Book), an epic 800+ page tome on all things fish and fish-related. See more at: http://publicdomainreview.org/collections/adriaen-coenens-fish-book-1580/

Found here.