The book in question is of course, De Historia Pisicium ie A History of Fishes by Francis Willughby and John Ray, first published all the way back in 1686.

Yes, A History of Fishes was written by Ray, let's get that out of the way first. Now, to the book.

April 08, 2026 - 23:27 UTC

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See,a History of Fishes was no ordinary book. Indeed, it was one of the most expensive books ever made, 2/3rd of which went towards the 187 individually carved copper plates in it. Published by the Royal Society, its calculated as being equivalent in cost to 11 yrs of wages for a skilled tradesman.
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The Royal Society & President Samuel Pepys, really believed in A History of Fishes. The financials appear not to even account for the sizable sum he personally donated to the printing costs. For this he, and the Royal Society gained a truly beautiful book by all accounts. Which was a massive flop.
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Damn, he was British. I was hoping he was a Finn.
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No. It’s the one where Ms. Frizzle takes the class into Ralphie’s body
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