[NATURAL HISTORY]. BUFFON, Georges Louis Leclerc, Comte de (1707-1788). Buffon's Natural History Containing a Theory of the Earth, a General History of Man... London: Printed for the Proprietor and Sold by H.D. Symonds, 1797.

10 volumes, 8vo (184 x 108 mm). 81 engraved plates. (Some spotting throughout.) Contemporary full marbled calf (rubbing).

FIRST EDITION of James Smith Barr's translation of Buffon's landmark natural history work. Buffon famously worked on his Natural History for nearly half a century, publishing the first 36 volumes in the original French from 1749-1789 and an additional 8 volumes published after Buffon's death. His focus on anatomy, and in particular his outlines of the similarities between apes and human beings, established him as one of the earliest comparative anatomists.

[With]: BUFFON. Natural History of Birds, Fish, Insects and Reptiles. London: Printed for the Proprietor and Sold by H.D. Symonds, 1798. 5 volumes, 8vo (184 x 108 mm). 44 engraved plates (Some spotting throughout, archival tape repair to fifth volume). FIRST EDITION of Barr's translation.

[With]: BUFFON. Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux. Paris: L'Imprimerie Royale, 1770-1783. 9 volumes, 4to (248 x 191 mm). 114 engravings. Later half calf, marbled boards. Zimmer 1:104; Nissen IVB 158; Stillwell, pp.82-83.

[NATURAL HISTORY]. BUFFON, Georges Louis Leclerc, Comte de (1707-1788). Buffon's Natural History Containing a Theory of the Earth, a General History of Man... London: Printed for the Proprietor and Sold by H.D. Symonds, 1797.