Sebastian Brant, woodcut of a fool, from Stultifera nauis (The Ship of Fooles), (London, Iohn Cawood printer to the Queenes Maiestie, 1570), State Library Victoria, RARESF 837.32 S

Louis Renard, mermaid, from Poissons écrevisses et crabs… (Amsterdam, Reiner & Josué Ottens, 1754), State Library Victoria, RARESEF 597 R29

Louis Renard, various fish, from Poissons écrevisses et crabs… (Amsterdam, Reiner & Josué Ottens, 1754), State Library Victoria, RARESEF 597 R29

Restif de La Bretonne, 'Victorin prenant son vol', La découverte australe par un homme-volant, ou, Le Dédale français… (Paris, s.n., 1781), State Library Victoria, RARELT 843.5 R31D

Pieter van der Aa, a dragon and other creatures, from Icones arborum, fruticum et herbarum exoticarum… (Lugduni Batavorum, Petrum Vander Aa, c. 1720), Statae Library Victoria, RARES 574 A11

John White, 'Of the kangaroo', from Journal of a voyage to New South Wales (London, printed for J Debrett, 1790), State Library Victoria, RARELTF 919.44 W58

Joannes Jonstonus, a rhinoceros after Albrecht Dūrer's 1515 woodcut, from Historiae naturalis...  de quadrupedibus (Amstelodami, II Fil Schipper, 1657), State Library Victoria, RARESF 599 J64

Hartmann Schedel, detail of the world map, from Registrum huius operis Libri cronicarum… (Nuremberg, Anton Koberger, 1493), State Library Victoria, RARESEF 093 C933K

Edward Topsell, a lamia, from The history of four-footed beasts and serpents… (London, printed by E Cotes, for G Sawbridge ... T Williams ... and T Johnson, 1658), State Library Victoria, RARESF 598.12 T62

Joannes Jonstonus, unicorns, from Historiae naturalis...  de quadrupedibus (Amstelodami, II Fil Schipper, 1657), State Library Victoria, RARESF 599 J64

Pieter van der Aa, a baboon and other creatures, from Icones arborum, fruticum et herbarum exoticarum… (Lugduni Batavorum, Petrum Vander Aa, c. 1720), Statae Library Victoria, RARES 574 A11

Claus Jansz Visscher, a shipwreck between Mozambique and Madagascar, from Tabularum geographicarum contractarum… (Amsterdam, CJ Visscher, 1649), State Library Victoria, RARES 912 V82T

Isaac Commelin, sea creatures, from Begin ende voortgangh, van de Vereenighde Nederlantsche geoctroyeerde Oost-Indische Compagnie… (Amsterdam, sn, 1646), State Library Victoria, RARES 910.9492 C73B

Robert Hooke, engraving of a flea under magnification, from Micrographia (London, Printed by J Martyn and J Allestry, 1665), State Library Victoria, RARESF 504 H76

Joannes Jonstonus, mer-people and fish, from Historiae naturalis... De piscibus et cetis (Amstelodami, II Fil Schipper, 1667), State Library Victoria, RARESF 599 J64

M Gerards, Animalium quadrupedum omnis generis verae et artificiosissimae delineations (Antwerp, sn, 1583), State Library Victoria, RARES 769 G31

François Péron, 'Platypuses', from Voyage de découvertes aux terres australes, exécuté par ordre de sa Majesté, l'Empereur et Roi, sur les corvettes le Géographe, le Naturaliste et la Goëlette le Casuarina, pendant les années 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803 et 1804 (Paris, de L'Imprimerie Impériale, 1807–17), State Library Victoria, RARELTF 508.94 P42V