This is the earliest known book on fishes to be issued in colour and is extremely rare. The Library’s copy is one of only six known copies in the world. This volume contains 460 brilliantly hand-coloured engravings of marine creatures collected in the East Indies. Many of the illustrations depict specimens that bear little resemblance to a living fish.

Louis Renard’s reputation as a publisher and bookdealer was enhanced by his claim that he was employed as a spy for the British crown.