The collected illustrations of Albertus Seba's Cabinet of Natural Curiosities (Taschen, DM300, £100, $150) were first published in the early eighteenth century. Seba's 'curiosities' comprise the exotic species he bought from sailors and travellers returning to the ports of Holland. It was the heyday of exploration, and the beginning of trade between continents. Taschen has republished the illustrations in a luxurious edition of astonishing beauty. The book also includes essays in English, German and French. (Cabinet of Curiosities/Das Naturalienkabinett/Le Cabinet des curiosités naturelles d'Albertus Seba.)