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1771réf. 122Buffon's Histoire Naturelle " One of the most important of all birds books from the collector's point of view " Stillwell 63. A magnificent copy complete with its 1 008 beautiful plates in contemporary coloring preserved in its contemporary binding. Contemporary painted calf gilt fillets on covers ribbed spine decorated with gilt fillets and gilt fleurons red yellow and green morocco lettering piece double gilt filet on leading edges inner gilt dentelle gilt edges. The most beautiful and most famous Buffon illustrated books. A very rare and magnificent copy printed on large paper and complete with its 1 008 handcouloured plates. Cohen 194 ; Nissen IV B 158 ; Brunet I 1379-1380 ; Ronsil 76. The 1 008 plates drawn by François-Nicolas Martinet 1731-1800 under Edmée-Louis Daubenton's supervision are dedicated to birds butterflies flying insects and to a few reptiles and mammals. All the plates were drawn and handcoloured at the time. Buffon decided to dedicate this separate beautiful edition to birds and ha dit printed in 4° and folio format. " One of the most important of all birds books from the collector's point of view " Stillwell 63. "In 1739 Buffon was appointed Director of the Jardin du Roi. It would appear that the "Natural History" germinated in the preparation of a catalogue of the royal collection. Buffon then enlarged its scope to Aristotelian or Plinian proportions and finally transformed it into a conspectus of nature of a breadth and depth previously unknown. The Natural History was a great popular success" PMM. A lot of copies are missing the insects supplement of 35 plates and only contain 973 plates. A magnificent copy belonging to the luxuous folio edition complete with its 1008 plates handcouloured at the time preserved in its contemporary binding. Copies' value depend on its number of plates and on its bindings. (Imprimerie Royale) hardcover
1766réf. ABC_47564Dordrecht: Abraham Blussé 1766. Contemporary uniform half tanned sheepskin sewn on 5 supports gold-tooled spines each volume with author subject and part number on 2 green spine labels in the 2nd and 3rd of 6 compartments paste-paper sides. Large 4to. With more than 1100 hand-coloured engraved plates 10 maps 1 folding engraved table and an engraved portrait of Buffon by Houbraken with an extra-added plain portrait pasted on the verso. 38 parts in 21 volumes. Including:Volume 1: tome 1: Théorie de la Terre 2 plates tome 2: Histoire générale des animaux 8 plates tome 3: Histoire naturelle de l'homme 18 plates. Volume 2: tomes 4 & 5: Les Quadrupèdes 23 and 60 plates and an engraved table of dogs. Volume 3: tomes 6 & 7: Les Quadrupèdes 49 and 48 plates Volume 4: tomes 8 & 9: Les Quadrupèdes 54 and 41 plates.Volume 5: tomes 10 & 11: Les Quadrupèdes 57 and 45 plates.Volume 6: tomes 12 & 13: Les Quadrupèdes 60 and 62 plates.Volume 7: tomes 14 & 15: Les Quadrupèdes 60 and 16 plates.Volume 8: Supplément tomes I - II 17 plates.Volume 9: Supplément à l'histoire de l'homme et aux animaux quadrupèdes - tomes III-IV 6 and 67 plates.Volume 10: Supplément les époques de la natures - tomes V-VI 46 and 6 plates 10 maps.Volume 11: Supplément tome VII 74 plates Volume 12: Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux nouvelle édition tome 1: 29 platesVolume 13: Oiseaux: tomes 2 & 3: 27 & 31 platesVolume 14: Oiseaux: tomes 4 & 5: 28 & 22 platesVolume 15: Oiseaux: tomes 6 & 7: 25 & 31 platesVolume 16: Oiseaux: tomes 8 & 9: 39 & 31 plates. Volume 17: Histoire Naturelle des Minéraux nouvelle édition tomes 1 & 2; Volume 18: Minéraux: tomes 3 & 4; Volume 19: Minéraux: tome 5 traité de l'aimant et de ses usages.Volume 20: Histoire Naturelle des Quadrupèdes ovipares et des serpens nouvelle édition tome 1: 41 platesVolume 21: Quadrupèdes ovipares et des serpens: tome 2: 22 plates Finely hand-coloured copy of the 1766-1799 Netherlands edition in French of Buffon's justly famous Histoire naturelle the complete first series covering the formation of the earth humans mammalian quadrupeds and apes reptiles and amphibians birds fishes and even minerals also describing the royal collection of Louis XV. Buffon's work presents ''for the first time a complete survey of natural history in popular form'' PMM. The present set in the works rarest and most expensive form is exquisite. The subscription notices periodically mention copies printed on fine paper but they do not mention hand-coloured copies. Landwehr discussing the first Dutch-language edition no. 46 by the same publisher cites contemporary sources referring to four forms of publication: on regular paper on large paper with hand-coloured plates and most expensive of all with hand-coloured plates and vignettes.Buffon opens the first volume with an essay called "Théorie de la terre" where "for the first time he outlines a satisfactory account of the history of our globe and of its development as a fitting home for living things. In his view the earth had been originally part of the sun which was broken off by the impact of a comet. It gradually condensed from its gaseous state and the forces shaping its continents and mountains are still active'' PMM. From his exhaustive research for the Histoire naturelle des quadrupèdes Buffon came to the conclusion that it was necessary to reintroduce the notion of family. Breaking with the spirit of his time Buffon attempted to separate science from metaphysical and religious ideas. As a disciple of Locke he denied idealistic metaphysics stating that mental abstractions can never become principles of either existence or real knowledge; these can come only as the results of sensation'' DSB.Buffon did not believe in the fixity of species but proposed that nature is constantly changing. For instance in the case of quadrupeds he stated that there were 38 basic types that degenerated over the centuries. According to Buffon the monkey is a degenerated man the ass a degenerated horse. His interest in the precise connection between groups of animals that are obviously related prompted Buffon to devote much attention to comparative anatomy in the Histoire naturelle. He also stressed the importance of the study of earth sciences for botany and zoology. "Life and animation instead of being a metaphysical point in being is a physical property of matter" DSB. Buffon's views on the origin and development of species and the history of the earth show how he tried to describe natural phenomena by means of science discarding metaphysical and religious explanations. "He was the first to create an autonomous science free of any theological influence . and established the intellectual framework within which most naturalists up to Darwin worked" DSB.Buffon was assisted by the anatomist Louis Daubenton and others and the final volumes were completed after his death under the direction of Comte de Lacépède.With the owners name Sir George. Murray 1772-1846 on the half-title of most volumes. He was a Scottish soldier from a noble family who served in Flanders the West Indies Egypt and elsewhere eventually becoming quarter master general of Wellingtons staff in Spain and Portugal and reaching the rank of General. He was Knighted in 1813 held governorships of several colonies and the military college at Sandhurst along with leading posts at the Colonial Office where he helped establish the colony of Western Australia and served from 1823 as a member of the British parliament. With the bookplate of the German entrepreneur and bibliophile Hans Dedi 1918-2016. Lacking a few half-titles for example in the bird volumes 1 and 2 but otherwise in very good condition most of the plates fine with occasional stains and spots a few tears and repairs the binding also with some minor wear and repairs. A splendid copy of a seminal monument of natural history.l Landwehr Coloured plates 45 and 46 Dutch ed.; Nissen ZBI 678. Abraham Blussé, unknown
