Plinius Secundus | Historiae naturalis libri XXXVII, Paris, 1723, 3 volumes, red morocco, Lamoignon copy

Gaius Plinius Secundus

Historiae naturalis libri XXXVII. Quos interpretatione et notis illustravit Joannes Harduinus... editio altera emendatior & auctior. Paris: Antoine-Urbain Coustelier, 1723 

3 volumes, folio (436 x 285mm.), large paper copy, engraved and woodcut initials and headpieces, double-page engraved map (of the Earthly Paradise), 8 engraved plates of coins at back of volume 1 and 3 in volume 2, plain plates, contemporary French red morocco gilt, flat spines gilt with black morocco lettering-pieces (with the name of the editor stamped in gilt at the foot of volume 1), gilt edges, a few small rust spots, extremities very slightly rubbed

The second edition of Pliny produced by the Jesuit scholar Jean Hardouin (1646-1729), who made use of the evidence of Roman coins to verify parts of the text. This is considered the last commentary on the entirety of the text of Pliny, and Hardouin acknowledges all the previous scholarly editions of and commentaries on the text.

PROVENANCE:

Chrétien-François de Lamoignon (1735-1789), printed paper labels "Bibliotheca Lamoniana" with shelfmarks V 51 (-53) on inside front cover and crowned L stamp on A2 of each volume, no. 1617 in Mérigot's 1791 catalogue of the Lamoignon library (the library was later bought by Thomas Payne who added the paper labels; auctioned by him in 1793); Frederick J.O. Montagu, bookplate