Buffon’s Histoire naturelle stands as one of the most ambitious intellectual undertakings of the Enlightenment. Conceived as a comprehensive account of the natural world, it brought together observation, philosophy, and emerging scientific method, and exerted a formative influence on natural history, geology, and the life sciences well into the nineteenth century.
The present offering is a coherent ensemble of six eighteenth-century volumes drawn from both the main series and the Suppléments. Though fragmentary, the group represents a meaningful cross section of Buffon’s project, with material devoted to the structure of the Earth, mineralogy, and the systematic description of nature. It reflects the work in active use, rather than as a later assembled remnant.
All volumes are preserved in uniform contemporary full calf bindings, clearly executed as a set in the period. The bindings display a warm and honest patina, with some rubbing and wear to the spines consistent with age and use. The interiors remain clean and legible, with light foxing only and no structural defects.
The illustrated content is complete for the volumes present. Tome Troisième of the main series contains its three engraved figures, all present and well printed. Supplément, Tome Neuvième includes its single engraved illustration, likewise complete and intact. No fold-out plates are required or called for in these specific volumes.
Collation and technical details
Title: Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière
Author: Georges-Louis Leclerc, comte de Buffon
Printing: Paris, Imprimerie Royale, 1769–1788
Six volumes, 12mo, approximately 17 cm in height.
Main series
Tome Troisième, illustrated with three engraved figures.
Tome Treizième
Tome Quatorzième
Suppléments
Supplément, Tome Troisième
Supplément, Tome Quatrième
Supplément, Tome Neuvième, illustrated with one undamaged fold-out illustration.
A total of four original copper engravings are present. All illustrations are complete as issued.
Condition
Contemporary uniform calf bindings with age-related wear and patina. Some rubbing and minor loss to the spines. Internally clean and sound, with light foxing consistent with the period. No tears, losses, or repairs observed.
Although not a complete set, this ensemble forms a visually harmonious and intellectually substantial fragment of Buffon’s great work. It offers an authentic eighteenth-century presence, suitable for the collector of early scientific literature, the historian of Enlightenment thought, or the bibliophile seeking a carefully preserved grouping in original condition.
Buffon’s Histoire naturelle stands as one of the most ambitious intellectual undertakings of the Enlightenment. Conceived as a comprehensive account of the natural world, it brought together observation, philosophy, and emerging scientific method, and exerted a formative influence on natural history, geology, and the life sciences well into the nineteenth century.
The present offering is a coherent ensemble of six eighteenth-century volumes drawn from both the main series and the Suppléments. Though fragmentary, the group represents a meaningful cross section of Buffon’s project, with material devoted to the structure of the Earth, mineralogy, and the systematic description of nature. It reflects the work in active use, rather than as a later assembled remnant.
All volumes are preserved in uniform contemporary full calf bindings, clearly executed as a set in the period. The bindings display a warm and honest patina, with some rubbing and wear to the spines consistent with age and use. The interiors remain clean and legible, with light foxing only and no structural defects.
The illustrated content is complete for the volumes present. Tome Troisième of the main series contains its three engraved figures, all present and well printed. Supplément, Tome Neuvième includes its single engraved illustration, likewise complete and intact. No fold-out plates are required or called for in these specific volumes.
Collation and technical details
Title: Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière
Author: Georges-Louis Leclerc, comte de Buffon
Printing: Paris, Imprimerie Royale, 1769–1788
Six volumes, 12mo, approximately 17 cm in height.
Main series
Tome Troisième, illustrated with three engraved figures.
Tome Treizième
Tome Quatorzième
Suppléments
Supplément, Tome Troisième
Supplément, Tome Quatrième
Supplément, Tome Neuvième, illustrated with one undamaged fold-out illustration.
A total of four original copper engravings are present. All illustrations are complete as issued.
Condition
Contemporary uniform calf bindings with age-related wear and patina. Some rubbing and minor loss to the spines. Internally clean and sound, with light foxing consistent with the period. No tears, losses, or repairs observed.
Although not a complete set, this ensemble forms a visually harmonious and intellectually substantial fragment of Buffon’s great work. It offers an authentic eighteenth-century presence, suitable for the collector of early scientific literature, the historian of Enlightenment thought, or the bibliophile seeking a carefully preserved grouping in original condition.
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