Details
BUFFON, Georges-Louis-Marie Le Clerc, (1707-1788, comte de). Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux. Paris: Imprimerie Royale (vols. VII-X suivant la copie de l'Imprimerie Royale), 1770-1786.
10 volumes, large 2° (445 x 310mm). LARGE-PAPER ISSUE. Text within decorative borders, 1008 FINE HAND-COLOURED PLATES, including the 35 non-ornithological subjects, drawn and engraved by François Nicolas Martinet under the supervision of Edmé Louis Daubenton. (Without blanks in vols.I, II and IX; vol.V with slight damage to lower inner margin of plate 7, plate 747 with neatly repaired tear along plate mark, plates 565-568 with repaired hole or tear in upper blank margins.) Red straight-grained morocco gilt, covers with triple-fillet borders, spine in seven compartments with double raised bands, lettered in three, gilt turn-ins, g.e., by CHRISTIAN KALTHOEBER (with his orange label in vol.I) (slight bumping to lower outer corners of boards, occasional superficial worming to inner hinges).
A VERY FINE COPY OF ONE OF THE EARLIEST AND MOST IMPORTANT LANDMARKS IN THE HISTORY OF ORNITHOLOGY. The large-paper issue is described by Buffon as "Grand in-folio avec les planches enluminées, en grand papier". "ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL BIRD BOOKS FROM THE COLLECTOR'S POINT OF VIEW" (Fine Bird Books). In 1765 Daubenton the younger, at Buffon's instigation, commenced the publication of the plates. By 1780 or a little later 42 cahiers (with 1008 plates) had appeared, in no particular order, and without text. The evident intention was that the plates should illustrate the ornithological volumes of Buffon's Histoire Naturelle générale et particulière (4°, 44 vols., 1749-1804): this proved impossible because of the limited edition of the coloured plates. A new set of 262 black-and-white plates were prepared for the nine ornithological volumes of the Natural History, and Buffon simultaneously produced, in ten volumes, the above special edition (in four distinct formats) using Martinet's plates and essentially the same text as appeared in the Natural History. Philibert Gueneau de Montbeillard and l'Abbé Bexon assisted Buffon with the text.
The collations of this work vary and none of the standard references agree on an ideal copy.
Volume I is as in Zimmer, except that the section title is here misbound after the contents leaves.
Volume II collates as the Zimmer copy.
Volume III collates as the Zimmer copy.
Volume IV collates as the Zimmer copy.
Volume V collates as the Mengel copy (i.e. incorrect pagination: no pages 121-2).
Volume VI collates as the Mengel copy.
Volume VII collates as the Mengel copy, except that the plate list/errata is here bound as the final leaf.
Volume VIII collates as the Mengel copy, except that the plate list/errata is here bound as the final leaf.
Volume IX collates as the Zimmer copy.
Volume X collates as the Zimmer copy.
The 35 non-ornithological plates feature 6 of Beetles, 21 of Butterflies and Moths, 3 of Toads and Lizards, 4 of Coral and 1 of Mantidae.
Anker 76; Fine Bird Books 63; Mengel 411; Nissen IVB 158; Zimmer 104. (10)
10 volumes, large 2° (445 x 310mm). LARGE-PAPER ISSUE. Text within decorative borders, 1008 FINE HAND-COLOURED PLATES, including the 35 non-ornithological subjects, drawn and engraved by François Nicolas Martinet under the supervision of Edmé Louis Daubenton. (Without blanks in vols.I, II and IX; vol.V with slight damage to lower inner margin of plate 7, plate 747 with neatly repaired tear along plate mark, plates 565-568 with repaired hole or tear in upper blank margins.) Red straight-grained morocco gilt, covers with triple-fillet borders, spine in seven compartments with double raised bands, lettered in three, gilt turn-ins, g.e., by CHRISTIAN KALTHOEBER (with his orange label in vol.I) (slight bumping to lower outer corners of boards, occasional superficial worming to inner hinges).
A VERY FINE COPY OF ONE OF THE EARLIEST AND MOST IMPORTANT LANDMARKS IN THE HISTORY OF ORNITHOLOGY. The large-paper issue is described by Buffon as "Grand in-folio avec les planches enluminées, en grand papier". "ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL BIRD BOOKS FROM THE COLLECTOR'S POINT OF VIEW" (Fine Bird Books). In 1765 Daubenton the younger, at Buffon's instigation, commenced the publication of the plates. By 1780 or a little later 42 cahiers (with 1008 plates) had appeared, in no particular order, and without text. The evident intention was that the plates should illustrate the ornithological volumes of Buffon's Histoire Naturelle générale et particulière (4°, 44 vols., 1749-1804): this proved impossible because of the limited edition of the coloured plates. A new set of 262 black-and-white plates were prepared for the nine ornithological volumes of the Natural History, and Buffon simultaneously produced, in ten volumes, the above special edition (in four distinct formats) using Martinet's plates and essentially the same text as appeared in the Natural History. Philibert Gueneau de Montbeillard and l'Abbé Bexon assisted Buffon with the text.
The collations of this work vary and none of the standard references agree on an ideal copy.
Volume I is as in Zimmer, except that the section title is here misbound after the contents leaves.
Volume II collates as the Zimmer copy.
Volume III collates as the Zimmer copy.
Volume IV collates as the Zimmer copy.
Volume V collates as the Mengel copy (i.e. incorrect pagination: no pages 121-2).
Volume VI collates as the Mengel copy.
Volume VII collates as the Mengel copy, except that the plate list/errata is here bound as the final leaf.
Volume VIII collates as the Mengel copy, except that the plate list/errata is here bound as the final leaf.
Volume IX collates as the Zimmer copy.
Volume X collates as the Zimmer copy.
The 35 non-ornithological plates feature 6 of Beetles, 21 of Butterflies and Moths, 3 of Toads and Lizards, 4 of Coral and 1 of Mantidae.
Anker 76; Fine Bird Books 63; Mengel 411; Nissen IVB 158; Zimmer 104. (10)