A pharmacist in Amsterdam who lived from 1665 to 1736, Albertus Seba had an insatiable hunger to learn everything he could about the natural world. For decades he collected specimens ranging from exotic plants to snakes, butterflies, lizards, even a goat with one head and two bodies. In 1731, he commissioned artists to render his collection of preserved creatures in drawings, and the 446 illustrations were subsequently published in four volumes. In October, Taschen gathers all four in Albertus Seba's Cabinet of Natural Curiosities, a large-size, single-volume edition. Editor Ute Kieseyer reports, "Our publication is a facsimile reprint of the complete color plates taken from the Royal Library in The Hague." Pam Sommers, Taschen public relations manager, notes, "These collections were common at the time for men of science and prestigious to display. They were referred to as cabinets of curiosities for the public, but were in fact the natural specimens that apothecaries used for research and from which they formulated their medications." Many of the creatures were brought to Seba by Amsterdam-bound sailors who knew of his interest, and the pharmacist himself worked with collectors from all around the world. Irmgard Musch, author, with Rainer Willmann and Jes Rust, of the book's introductory and explanatory texts, says, "Seba entered the arriving ships and exchanged medicine for shells, stones and snakes. Seba's large collection of preserved natural specimens was famous far afield. Naturalists from many countries came to view it. But as a book, the actual collection becomes mobile and accessible." Concludes Sommers, "The audience for this kind of material at the time would have been wealthy collectors, both of specimens and also of books. The audience today is similar: anyone with an interest in the natural sciences, an interest in the history of medicine and anyone interested in examples of extraordinary book-making and printing. The big difference is that today's collector needn't be quite so wealthy."