[NATURAL HISTORY]. BUFFON, Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de (1707-1788). A Natural History, General and Particular, Containing the History and Theory of the Earth... London: Printed for Thomas Kelly by W. Clowes, n.d. [watermarked 1818].

4to (267 x 203 mm). 2 engraved portraits with 52 hand-colored engraved plates (some light spotting throughout). Contemporary full calf (rubbing, hinges starting).

EARLY TWO-VOLUME ENGLISH EDITION. Buffon's Histoire Naturelle was originally published in 36 volumes from 1749-1788. One of the first natural history works to outline a history of the Earth with little reference to Biblical accounts and written in a highly engaging style, it was "read...by every educated person in Europe" (Mayr, 330). Genet-Varcin & Roger 207; Knight 92; Nissen 160; Norman 369.

Property from the Estate of Peter Fortsas