Johann L. Frisch Vorstellung der Vogel Deutschlandes
und Beylaufig auch Einiger 1741
This is considered to be the first great German color plate bird book. It was published by Johann Leonhard Frisch (1666-1743) who was a theologian, naturalist and philologist.
This monumental work on German Birds contains a total of 255 hand-colored engravings. The work was started by J.L. Firsch but it ultimately became a family project: Frisch’s sons Ferdinand and Phillip were responsible for drawing and engraving the plates; following the elder Frisch’s death, his grandson Just Leopold Frisch composed the text for the work.