Turtle Journal — Schöpf 1792 Testudo Anatomy Hardcover Notebook

In 1792, Johann David Schöpf published Naturgeschichte der Schildkröten — the most comprehensive scientific study of chelonians of the eighteenth century — documenting over 100 species with the anatomical rigour of Enlightenment-era zoology and copper engravings that remain among the finest examples of herpetological illustration in the history of natural history publishing.

The front cover features Tab. VIII: Schöpf's hand-coloured engraving of Testudo graeca — the Moorish tortoise — showing the domed carapace with its characteristic black-centred scutes in warm olive and ochre tones, and the plastron below. The back cover presents Testudo picta Hermanni — today Chrysemys picta, the painted turtle — a North American freshwater species distinguished by the vivid yellow and red lines along its neck and carapace margins: a creature of ponds and slow rivers, as different from the terrestrial Moorish tortoise as the New World was from the Old.

Product Details

• Format: Hardcover journal
• Pages: 150 lined pages (75 sheets) with perforations for easy removal
• Binding: Casewrap sewn binding — flexible and lay-flat
• Dimensions: 5.75 × 8 inches
• Weight: 100 g
• Cover: Matte laminated full-wrap print
• Note: small production barcode (0.5" × 0.5") on back cover

Perfect For

• Nature lovers and wildlife enthusiasts
• Students of biology, zoology, and natural history
• Journaling, field notes, and sketching
• Thoughtful gifts for scientists and naturalists
• Desk companions for slow, intentional writing
• Collectors of vintage natural history art

Read more about Schöpf and the birth of herpetology: The Shell and the Scalpel — Schöpf's Naturgeschichte der Schildkröten