Martin Lister's English Spiders, 1678

Martin Lister was an exact contemporary and friend of the great British naturalist, John Ray.

His "Tractatus de Araneis" was the first scientific work on spiders in the world and was cited by Linnaeus in his own "Systema Naturae", tenth edition, 1758.

However, it is only now that an English translation has been made, enabling modern arachnologists to appreciate his remarkable observations on spiders and their behaviour.

John Parker's introduction chronicles Lister's life and times and assesses Lister's contribution to arachnology.

Then follows the translation of the "Tractatus" itself.

The original engraved plate of a number of species described in the treatise is reproduced together with the facing colour plate depicting the same species specially drawn by Michael Roberts.

An appendix contains relevant correspondence between Lister and his contemporaries, followed by comprehensive references and an index.