Orang-Outang, Sive Homo Sylvestris

Originally published in 1699 by Edward Tyson, a physician and comparative anatomist, this seminal text represents a foundational moment in the development of primatology and biological anthropology. Tyson composed the work following his dissection of an infant chimpanzee—which he mistakenly identified as an orangutan—that had died shortly after being brought to London from Angola. It was the first exhaustive anatomical study of a non-human primate, marking a shift toward systematic observation in the classification of living beings.

The book’s design and illustrative content were revolutionary for the late 17th century, featuring precise, copper-plate engravings that compared the skeletal and muscular structures of the primate to those of both humans and other animals. Tyson’s work was widely received as a groundbreaking, if controversial, piece of scholarship that challenged contemporary understandings of the hierarchy of nature. The 2017 Hansebooks edition serves as a modern facsimile, preserving the historical importance of the original plates and anatomical observations for contemporary researchers and collectors of natural history.