Vallemont - Curiositez de la nature - 1723

An equally learned and wondrous work of the early Enlightenment, in which natural science, superstition, and garden art meet in a fascinating way.

Publisher: Brussels, Jean Leonard, 1723. Part I and II in one volume. 16 leaves, 283 pages, 2 leaves; 1 leaf, 326 pages, 4 leaves. With two engraved frontispieces and 12 copperplates. 15.5 × 9.5 cm. Contemporary leather binding with rich gilding on the spine and gold-embossed title.
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Rare and sought-after later edition of this remarkable work by the Abbé de Vallemont (1649–1721), which exemplifies the transitional period between Baroque natural interpretation and the emerging scientific methodology. The book combines practical instructions for agriculture and garden culture with speculative, partly today curious theories about the forces of nature.

At the center are questions of vegetation, fertility, and in particular the “multiplication of wheat,” i.e., the yield enhancement of agricultural crops. In addition, Vallemont treats a variety of fascinating topics: about talking trees, ghost-dispelling plants, as well as about enlarging the growth of fruits and multiplication of plant growth etc. Thus the work is at once an important source for the history of agricultural sciences as well as for the culture and ideas of the 18th century.

The equipment is unusually rich for a handbook of this kind: Two finely engraved frontispieces and a total of 12 copperplates illustrate botanical structures, growth processes, and agricultural scenes, significantly enhancing the bibliophile appeal.
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Binding somewhat worn, inner pages slightly wavy, with some minor signs of use, overall well preserved. Ex Libris on the flyleaf. An altogether appealing, complete, and collectible exemplar of this unusual natural-science–agricultural classic.