Buffon, George Louis le Clerk

Natural History

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for W. Strahan and T. Cadell London 1785 Second Edition General And Particular, by the Count de Buffon, translated into English. Illustrated with above 300 copper-plates, and Occasional Notes and Observations. By William Smellie. Engraved frontispiece portrait and 308 copper-engraved plates (9 of which are folding). Nine volumes. 8vo. [218 x 137 x 330 mm]. xx, 514pp; [2]ff, 517pp; [4]ff, 524pp; [4]ff, 352pp; [4]ff, 440pp; [2]ff, 443pp; [4]ff, 452pp; [4]ff, 352pp; [4]ff, 422, [1]pp. Bound in contemporary mottled calf, smooth spines divided into six panels by solid and broken gilt fillets, lettered in the second panel on a red goatskin label and numbered in the third, the edges of the boards hatched in blind, plain endleaves, sprinkled edges. Some rubbing and a few headcaps chipped. Occasional light spotting or foxing and with light off-setting from the plates. Worm track at blank foot of first few leaves in vols.1 and 2, at end of vols.2 and 5. The folding plate CCCII in vol.9 has a tear to the lower left side. A good honest set. Buffon's 'Natural History, General and Particular' was arguably the first coherent attempt to present what was known about the natural world in a manner which both highlighted the complexity of the subject whilst presenting the information in a systematic, accessible format. It led to an increased public awareness of natural history across Europe during the eighteenth century. This edition is illustrated with charming engravings of the animals Buffon describes in the text; these illustrations proved hugely influential as they often formed the basis of the contemporary reader's concept of how exotic animals looked. J. Roger describes in the Dictionary of Scientific Biography how "Buffon was among the first to create an autonomous science, free of any theological influence." It was this purely scientific approach which led to conflict with the Catholic Church in France, who ordered for Buffon's books to be burned. However, he was greatly admired by fellow naturalists and his work remained influential throughout the following century. Bookplate of Oliver Collett.

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