BUCHOZ, Pierre-Joseph Histoire générale des Animaux, des Végétaux et des Minéraux qui se trouvent dans le Royaume Représentés en Gravure et dessinés d’après nature […].

Sole and unique edition of the greatest rarity of this series of natural science engravings, self-published by Pierre Joseph Buchoz (1731–1807).

Conlon 76/768; not in Nissen or Brunet.

It includes 38 superb hand-colored plates depicting wild and domestic animals, each accompanied by text describing their habitat, habits, and physical appearance.
Some of these plates resemble those drawn by Buffon, but the text is entirely different.
Conlon explains that this work was published in 1776. In fact, it appeared in installments of 8 to 10 plates each.

Nissen lists under the reference “Buchoz, Les dons merveilleux et divertisement coloriés de la nature dans le règne animal” (1782) a set of plates (32 plates) “Quadrupèdes de France” which may be a partial reissue of this work.

“Very scarce. Tome I contains an introduction to the history of the quadrupedes.
Bibliographical references: CBN: 20, col. 1147-75. • LKG: XIV 332b*.”

(P. Schuh, Annotated Bio-Bibliography of Mineralogy and Crystallography 1469–1919).

“This first Cahier that we have before us contains ten Plates representing the horse, the donkey, the Cotentin cow, the buck and the goat, the stag, the doe and her fawn, the bear, the bats called horseshoe, and those named Oreillard and Noctule. These engravings seem to us to render nature with great truth. M. Buchoz, one of the most industrious Naturalists who ever existed, frequently gives new proof of his zeal and fecundity through productions that follow one another at quite short intervals: they contain a considerable number of Plates which must have entailed very great expense.

What particularly distinguishes the works of this Author, and at the same time makes his Works very numerous and very voluminous, is that he is not content merely to give simple descriptions of the productions of nature, but enters into very great detail regarding their uses, the utility drawn from them in Medicine and in all the arts: thus, if on one hand these details make natural history more interesting, they cannot fail on the other hand to extend infinitely this science already immense in itself. The number of Works of M. Buchoz, who has embraced so vast a subject, is therefore not astonishing, except for the courage and activity that this Author must possess to carry out such great labors.” (Journal des Scavans, 1788, 398–400).

Valuable copy of this very rare work of zoology preserved as issued in its original stitched wrappers.