Description de sept cents dix-neuf plantes, de Geoffroy, 1767

GEOFFROY, François Alexandre.- Description vertus et usages de sept cents dix-neuf plantes, tant étrangeres que de nos climats, et de cent trente-quatre animaux, en sept cents trente planches / gravées en taille-douce sur les desseins d’après nature, de M. de Garsault, par MM. de Fehrt, Prevost, Duflos, Martinet, &c. Et rangées suivant l’ordre du livre intitulé Matière Médicale de M. Geoffroy...- A Paris: Chez P. Fr. Didot, 1767.- 4 vols.: il.; 22 cm.- E.
Edition of the initiative of the engravor François Alexandre Garsault (1693-1778), based on the works of Etinenne François Geoffroy (1672-1731), French chemist and physician, one of the founders of modern Chemistry, a discipline he taught at the Jardin Royal des plantes medicinales between 1712 and 1730. Set consisting of the following volumes: I - XIV, [2], 85, [1 br.] p.: 118 engravings; II - p. 89-184: 3 f. engraved (title page, avertissement and note), engravings119-292; III - p. [2 half-title pages], p. 185-277, [1 br.]: engravings 293-466; IV - p. 279-372: 3 f. engraved (rtitle page, avertissement and note), engravings 467-643. A specimen missing volume V, dedicated to Zoology, which should contain: 3 f. engraved (title page, avertissement and note), p. 375-472: enravings 644-729 and the Tables des planches [20 p.] of the five volumes. It appears that a rare sixth volume has been published later, of which we have no detailed news. Each of the volumes I and III also lack three engraved leaves (title, avertissement and note). Volumes II and IV are complete. Volumes I and III with the following restoration: I - typed title page with part of the left margin (blank, ±5x5 cm) rebuilt, certainly to eliminate possession; III - lower half (blank) of the reconstructed half-title page. Moreover, a specimen only with slightly browning, the 643 engravings (out of a total of 729), of the first four volumes, are very clean preserved. Entire flecked sheepskin contemporary bindings, with gold tooling on the spines and carmine and waxed edges. Nissen (Botanische Buchillustration, 687.