Because Malpighi had a wide knowledge of both plants and animals, and he made contributions to the study of both. The Royal Society in London published two volumes of his botanical and zoological works in 1675 and 1679. Another edition followed in 1687, and a supplementary volume in 1697. In his autobiography, Malpighi speaks of his "Anatome Plantarum", decorated with the engravings of Robert White (1645–1703) as "the most elegant format in the whole literate world". 