Buffon

1828 · ABC_50439 — Brussels 1828. 8vo. Th. Lejeune Contemporary half calf marble boards gold-tooled spine with green and blue compartments author title and volume number lettered in gold on the spine green sprinkled edges. With a lithographed frontispiece portrait of the author a lithographed portrait of Daubenton 2 lithographed emblematic frontispieces 2 lithographed double-page maps of the Old and the New World 6 numbered lithographed plates of teeth 16 numbered lithographed plates of scientific instruments etc. and 6 numbered lithographed plates of seeds in the first 4 introductory volumes lithographed frontispieces of a naked man woman and child and 26 lithographed plates of human heads and species including 10 are nicely coloured by hand in volume 5 on the natural history of man illustrations of mammals and mammalian anatomy on 469 lithographed plates including 226 coloured by hand in volumes 6 to 10 and illustrations of birds on 210 lithographed plates all beautifully coloured by hand and including 8 heightened with gold in volumes 11 to 14. 20 volumes 14 text and 6 atlas. Each volume ca. 500 pp. Fine complete set of a special edition of the works of George-Louis Leclerc Comte de Buffon 1707-1788 the most important natural historian of his day whose ground-breaking observations and classifications profoundly influenced biology geology and the natural sciences across Europe. This Brussels edition was edited by Professor Lamouroux correspondant of the Institut de France and enhanced with extensive contributions by Buffon's successors including Daubenton Lacépède Cuvier Duméril Poiret Lesson and Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire whose additions were appended to the relevant chapters to provide the most current scientific observations and refinements.The work opens with two prefaces by the publishers and two eulogies one on Buffon by Nicolas de Condorcet 1743-1794 and the other on Louis Jean Marie Daubenton 1716-1800 by Baron Cuvier 1796-1832 situating the compilation within its historical and intellectual context. The illustrations were produced under the supervision of M. Meunier draughtsman of the Cabinet d’Histoire Naturelle and for the first time lithographed a technique that allowed according to the Paris publisher a far more faithful representation of living subjects than was previously possible with traditional engraving. The lithography was executed by Th. Lejeune in Brussels on specially prepared paper ensuring clarity and durability.The set is divided into four major sections. Théorie de la terre volumes 1-4 illustrating minerals fossils and natural phenomena along with emblematic and scientific designs. Histoire naturelle de l’homme volume 5 depicting human anatomy physiognomy and the diversity of peoples across the globe. Mammifères volumes 6-10 presenting mammals in remarkable anatomical and behavioural detail. Oiseaux volumes 11-14 illustrating the appearance and structure of birds in natural poses. All of these topics are also represented in 6 separate atlas volumes providing a complete visual complement to the text.In total the edition contains 738 lithographs maps and plates almost two-thirds of which depict mammals and birds in rich hand-colouring demonstrating both scientific precision and extraordinary artistry. This edition preserves Buffon's original genius while reflecting the cumulative expertise of successive generations of naturalists making it one of the most comprehensive visually impressive and historically significant editions of Buffon’s Oeuvres complètes ever produced.With a red ownership stamp on the title page and the recto of the first flyleaf of the first volume of Théorie de la Terre “Dr. A.A. v. Otterloo” possibly Antony Adriaan van Otterloo 1847-1895 pastor in Zutphen The Netherlands from 1883. Some minor rubbing is visible on a few boards and all volumes show foxing. Otherwise in very good condition.l Bibl. Natura Artis Magistra 1171; Nissen 689; Sitwell Fine Bird Books 1700-1900 p. 83; Wood 268; Zimmer J.T. Ayer Lib. p. 112-113. hardcover