Swammerdam - Histoire Naturelle des Insectes [Biblia Naturae] - 1770

Very rare complete French translation of the famous "Biblia Naturae" by the Dutch scientist Jan Swammerdam (1637-1680), one of the most beautiful collections of microscopic observations ever produced, in which the author meticulously described the internal anatomy of insects. The book is consulted by naturalists still today and some of its engravings have never been surpassed.

This important edition was included in Volume V of the foreign section of the "Collezione Accademica", a vast scientific collection of the era.

Jean Swammerdam, Histoire Naturelle des Insectes translated from Biblia Naturae, Paris, Hotel de Thou, 1770.

PP.: (II), XL, 673, (I). COMPLETE text, but only 32 folded plates present (out of 36): numbers 7, 9, 28, 30 are missing.

Copy with leaves in overall good condition, with the usual signs of use and time. Some wear to the folded plates, in particular a small hole on plate 2 and a gap at the upper margin of plate 5 (see photos).

Contemporary full leather binding with title and gold tooling on the spine, solid and well preserved apart from a loss on the rear cover. Endpapers in marbled paper. Sprayed colored edges.