Whaling is the hunting of whales purportedly for meat, oil, blubber, and scientific research. Its earliest forms date to at least circa 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of subsistence whaling and harvesting beached whales. Industrial whaling emerged with organized fleets in the 17th century; competitive national whaling industries in the 18th and 19th centuries. Although banned some countries still hunt 'for science"



Balaena Ein ander art Wallfisch Sperm Whale stranding.
Printed by the heirs of Math: Merian, 1650-1653  for John Jonston,  (1603-1675)-Merian- pre 1655  from 'Historiae naturalis de quadrupetibus libri.' Folio (32.6 x 19.4 cm) one of  249 engraved plates and six engraved title pages. The second edtion in 1657 reversed the images and altered the paper making it one of the few books where the first edition is obvious and for some reason much scarcer . Many of these have edge of page loss esp to one corner  due to age and the paper being especially tasty to wildlife  so they will be shown full page on a darker background   £65 ea inc delivery the only one in landscape format ! some age staining

Histoire Naturelle Cetaces /Fig. 1 Le Grand Cachalot Copper etching by Benard from "Histoire Naturelle", published  in Paris. from Buffon's "Histoire Naturelle, Generale et Particuliere Avec la Description du Cabinet du Roi" 1763. Designed by De Seve, Jacques E. (French, fl. 1742 - 1788) and engraved by Le Grand, Louis. Jacques E. De Seve was the principal artist commissioned by Comte de Buffon to illustrate his 'Histoire Naturelle... Size 23.1 x 16 cm  £45 inc delivery

18th-century engraving showing Dutch whalers hunting Bowhead Whales in the Arctic.
The ships are Dutch and the animals depicted are Bowhead Whales. Beerenburg on Jan Mayen Land can be seen in the background. RAre c 1700 £45 inc delivery

 
The Hinder Part of the Head of the Unicorn as it looks towards the Neck./ The Whale /  The outside as it looks at the underpart ( narwhal)
original copper engraving out of Churchill's 'A Collection of Voyages and Travels: Some Now First Printed from Original Manuscripts'.  Churchill. Awnsham and John Churchill, 1704. 1730 Size 24 x 40 cm £20

View of the Whale Fishery etc in Greenland
Copper engraving by Morris, Page, Roberts  etc  in 1782 published for Millar's / George Millar in  The new and universal System of Geography, being a complete history and description of the whole world by George Henry Millar and William Langford (1782)   366mm x 233mm. published London 1784 x £20

Whalers attacked by Bears.
 Der Kampf mit den Eisbaeren. Steel engraving by A.H. Payne after Biard ca 1850.11.9 x 15.9 cm £12

Gemeiner Delphin Finnwal Narwal Pottwal / Dugong
Lithograph published  1827. From Von Carl Joseph Brodtmann (1787-1862), : Hans-Rudolf Schinz (1777-1861) : “Naturhistorische Abbildungen der Saeugethiere”. £35 inc delivery

Dolphins
“Weisswangiger Delphin. / Delphinus albigena. / Dauphin albigené./ Der Kreuztrager. / Delphinus cruciger. / Dauphin crucigeré.Das Meerschwein. / Delphinus phocaena. / Le Marsouin./ Der gemeine Delphin. / Delphinus Delphis. / Le Dauphin ordinaire.” Lithograph published  1827. From Von Carl Joseph Brodtmann (1787-1862), : Hans-Rudolf Schinz (1777-1861) : “Naturhistorische Abbildungen der Saeugethiere”. £35 inc delivery

der pollfisch /le cachalot /der delphin /dugoung/Nawal
 Lithograph published  1827. From Von Carl Joseph Brodtmann (1787-1862), : Hans-Rudolf Schinz (1777-1861) : “Naturhistorische Abbildungen der Saeugethiere”. £35 inc delivery sent cleaned

Whale
Steel engraving in original hand coloring by Lizars after J. Stewart. From "Naturalist´s Library", ca 1860. Page size: 10.2 x 17 cm £12*-Whalers attacked by Bears. Der Kampf mit den Eisbaeren.Steel engraving by A.H. Payne after Biard ca 1850.1.9 x 15.9 cm

Whales + Dolphins
Steel engraving in original hand coloring by Lizars after J. Stewart. From "Naturalist´s Library", ca 1860. Page size: 10.2 x 17 cm £12*-

Der Finnfisch and Der gemeine Wallfisch
 Lithograph published  1827. From Von Carl Joseph Brodtmann (1787-1862), : Hans-Rudolf Schinz (1777-1861) : “Naturhistorische Abbildungen der Saeugethiere”. £35 inc delivery

"A View of the Whale-Fishery, and the manner of Killing-Bears near & on the coast of Greenland"

Grondlandische  Seehund / phoca grondandica ?Seal
Antique lithograph by Alfred Oehmigke's Verlag (Moritz Geissler,) Leipzig from  Nach Leutemann, Zoolog. Atlas, Published by F.D. Schulgebrauch. Grösse 66x 88 Ctm, Leipzig, F. E. Wachsmuth in 1876 . Size    Image 289 x 218 mm Sheet 345 x 280 mm  Rare tear to base and soiling but will mount well £30  inc delivery

Mammalia Plate ; CCXLIII

 

Delphinus Superciliosus
Steel engraving in original hand colouring by J.Stewart engraved by William H. Lizars from Jardine's The Naturalist's Library 1833-1842unmounted etc some edge of page discolouration 17.5 x 11.5 cm £12 small but rare

 

The Diodon of Sowerby
 Steel engraving in original hand colouring by J.Stewart engraved by William H. Lizars from Jardine's The Naturalist's Library 1833-1842unmounted etc some edge of page discolouration 17.5 x 11.5 cm £12 small but rare

The Striped Porpoise The Fuenas of the Chilians
Steel engraving in original hand colouring by J.Stewart engraved by William H. Lizars from Jardine's The Naturalist's Library 1833-1842unmounted etc some edge of page discolouration 17.5 x 11.5 cm £12 small but rare

The Hyperdoon
Steel engraving in original hand colouring by J.Stewart engraved by William H. Lizars from Jardine's The Naturalist's Library 1833-1842unmounted etc some edge of page discolouration 17.5 x 11.5 cm £12 small but rare

The Delaphinapterus of Peron
 Steel engraving in original hand colouring by J.Stewart engraved by William H. Lizars from Jardine's The Naturalist's Library 1833-1842unmounted etc some edge of page discolouration 17.5 x 11.5 cm £12 small but rare

The Lead Coloured Dolphin The Bridled Dolphin
 Steel engraving in original hand colouring by J.Stewart engraved by William H. Lizars from Jardine's The Naturalist's Library 1833-1842unmounted etc some edge of page discolouration 17.5 x 11.5 cm £12 small but rare

The Soosoo of the Ganges
 Steel engraving in original hand colouring by J.Stewart engraved by William H. Lizars from Jardine's The Naturalist's Library 1833-1842unmounted etc some edge of page discolouration 17.5 x 11.5 cm £12 small but rare

The Common Dolphin
Steel engraving in original hand colouring by J.Stewart engraved by William H. Lizars from Jardine's The Naturalist's Library 1833-1842unmounted etc some edge of page discolouration 17.5 x 11.5 cm £12 small but rare

The Inia
Steel engraving in original hand colouring by J.Stewart engraved by William H. Lizars from Jardine's The Naturalist's Library 1833-1842unmounted etc some edge of page discolouration 17.5 x 11.5 cm £12 small but rare

The Delphinornychus of Breda Steel engraving in original hand colouring by J.Stewart engraved by William H. Lizars from Jardine's The Naturalist's Library 1833-1842unmounted etc some edge of page discolouration 17.5 x 11.5 cm £12 small but rare

Globicepharus of Risso
Steel engraving in original hand colouring by J.Stewart engraved by William H. Lizars from Jardine's The Naturalist's Library 1833-1842unmounted etc some edge of page discolouration 17.5 x 11.5 cm £12 small but rare

P Griseus Steel engraving in original hand colouring by J.Stewart engraved by William H. Lizars from Jardine's The Naturalist's Library 1833-1842unmounted etc some edge of page discolouration 17.5 x 11.5 cm £12 small but rare

Walrus
 Copper engraving from General Zoology or Systematic Natural History. by George Shaw from 1799 to 1802 Size 15 cm by 23 cm £15 small but rare old tint