Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière, avec la description du cabinet du Roi.

15 volumes in-4º illustrated with 2 maps, 1 table and 578 plates, most of them folding, including 2 allegorical figures; full contemporary marbled calf, spine ribbed and decorated with gilt dots and fillets forming boxes decorated with small gilt fleurons and crowned numeral in the center, red Morocco title pieces, triple gilt fillet framing the boards with large central arms, gilt lace on the edges and inside, red speckled edges (Binding with the arms of Louis XV). Overall: wetness (especially at the beginning and end of volumes), some browned leaves, some rare browned plates, some soiling and stains. Vol.2 - p.179 cut short in upper margin; vol.4 - paper restoration p.11, small tear in lower right corner p.519; vol.11 - marginal tear pl.15; vol.15 - paper loss in lateral margin pl.12

First edition of the Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière, with the description of the King's cabinet in 15 volumes, first part of this masterpiece of 18th century natural sciences, whose plates or figures are mainly due to Jacques de SEVE father and son.

French naturalist and writer, Georges Louis Leclerc, comte de Buffon (1707-1788), is the author of this monumental Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière, published in 7 parts between 1749 and 1804, to which Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton (1716-1800), Philibert Guéneau de Montbeliard (1720-1785) and Abbé Gabriel Bexon (1748-1784) contributed. Only the first four parts (Birds, Supplements and Minerals) are the work of Buffon. The last three (Oviparous, Fishes and Cetacea), published after his death, are due to Bernard Germain Étienne de La Ville, comte de Lacepède (1756-1825).