Also called the Book of Living Beings.
Written between 847 and 867.
First extensive study of animals published in the
Islamic world. It came close to being a theory of
evolution and natural selection that would not
be matched for another thousand years.
Seven volumes. The Book of Living Beings
is a strange and beguiling jumble of insights,
speculations, and facts about animals: more than
a miscellany, it is virtually an encyclopedia.
There is no complete English translation to this
day.