Buffon, George Marie Leclerc Comte de

38 volumes 4to (10 3/4 x 8 6/8 in.; 271 x 218 mm.), portrait, 1100 plates, 12 maps, 1 double table of dogs, all with very fine contemporary hand-colouring; Contemporary calf, gilt spines, rather worn and scuffed, once repaired rather clumsily, recently furbished, with 18 general- title-labels replaced, but still a very impressive set. 

Thomas Bolland (bookplate). 

Nissen ZBI 678 (calling for 1122 plates)

Contemporary calf, gilt spines, rather worn and scuffed, once repaired rather clumsily, recently furbished and 18 general- title-labels replaced, but still a very impressive set.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Buffon, director of the Jardin du Roi, collected and analysed countless living, dead, and fossilized organisms in an effort to understand their anatomy, classification, and distribution. The implications of Buffon's discoveries were that the world was much older than Biblical orthodoxy taught and that different species were subtly related. The Histoire naturelle is a lavishly illustrated and highly colourful summation of Buffon's work.

This edition, published in Dordrecht, though with a few variant Amsterdam titles, is notoriously erratic in makeup. Nissen 678 gives an elaborate collation with a total of 1121 plates (although he incorrectly adds up his collation to 1122 plates); but collations seem to change from one copy to another. This copy seems to lack about 30 plates of birds; on the other hand, the Supplement has at least 12 plates more than the Nissen does, with 12 maps instead of 8. A copy sold in 1997 had 1157 plates and maps. Another copy sold at Sotheby's London in 2007 had 4 maps and 1138 plates (Sotheby's London, 10 May 2007, lot 26).