The book "The Origin of the animal world" by Wilhelm Gaake 1903.

The publication contains 1 color map, 496 artistic illustrations in the text, 9 reproductions of black paintings carved on wood and 11 chromolithographs by R.Koch, V.Kunert and G. Mutzel. The figures and tables are made according to the instructions of the author himself.

The lifetime edition of "The Origin of the Animal World" by Dr. Wilhelm Gaake was published by the Book Publishing Association "Enlightenment" in 1903. Translated from the German by Dr. M.E. Lyon, edited by Professor Y.N. Wagner.

Wilhelm Gaake is a zoologist and professor who has published a number of books about the animal world of different countries and continents. He was born in Pomerania in 1855 and devoted his life to the study of the animal world. He traveled the world a lot, making important discoveries for science. So, while in Australia, he was the first to discover that the echidna, being a mammal, lays eggs. Thus, he put an end to the disputes of European scientists, which had lasted since the end of the 18th century, about the class of these animals.

Gaake's multi-volume works have been translated into most European languages. The books contain a large number of graphic black-and-white and color illustrations. The latter are still considered to be perfectly accurate, with almost photographic detail.