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JOHN RAY (1627-1705)
L'Histoire Naturelle Éclaircie dans une de ses parties principales, L'Ornithologie, qui traite des oiseaux de terre, de mer et de rivière. Translated from the Latin by Salerne. Paris: Debure, 1767. 4° (288 x 215mm). Half-title, engraved frontispiece and 30 engraved plates by Martinet. (Minor spotting.) Contemporary cat's paw calf, the spine gilt in compartments with floral tools, the sides with a gilt border of sprays and poppies, edges red (head cap chipped). Provenance: Emily, Marchioness of Lansdowne (1819-1895; bookplate).
FIRST EDITION. A HANDSOME COPY of Salerne's considerably enlarged translation from the Latin edition, published in 1713 with just 4 plates. Ray revolutionised the classification of bird species with this work, organizing them strictly by physical characteristics, but the 1713 edition suffers from the paucity of illustrations. Martinet, whose plates enrich the present work, was the century's most influential ornithological artist; Buffon chose him to illustrate his celebrated volume of birds. Anker 414; Nissen IVB, 757; Zimmer II, 501.
L'Histoire Naturelle Éclaircie dans une de ses parties principales, L'Ornithologie, qui traite des oiseaux de terre, de mer et de rivière. Translated from the Latin by Salerne. Paris: Debure, 1767. 4° (288 x 215mm). Half-title, engraved frontispiece and 30 engraved plates by Martinet. (Minor spotting.) Contemporary cat's paw calf, the spine gilt in compartments with floral tools, the sides with a gilt border of sprays and poppies, edges red (head cap chipped). Provenance: Emily, Marchioness of Lansdowne (1819-1895; bookplate).
FIRST EDITION. A HANDSOME COPY of Salerne's considerably enlarged translation from the Latin edition, published in 1713 with just 4 plates. Ray revolutionised the classification of bird species with this work, organizing them strictly by physical characteristics, but the 1713 edition suffers from the paucity of illustrations. Martinet, whose plates enrich the present work, was the century's most influential ornithological artist; Buffon chose him to illustrate his celebrated volume of birds. Anker 414; Nissen IVB, 757; Zimmer II, 501.