VENDU
8 volumes, 8vo (186 x 117 mm) 4 unn.ll., engraved frontispiece, 492 pp. for volume I ; 478 pp., 5 engraved plates for volume II ; 392 pp. (misnumbered 402) and 5 engraved plates for volume III ; 410 pp. and 7 engraved plates for volume IV ; 252 pp., 2 leaves of index numbered 172-174, and 3 engraved plates for volume V ; 416 pp. and 3 engraved plates for volume VI ; 1 nn.l., 175 and 185 pp., 1 unn.l. and 5 engraved plates for volume VII ; 399 pp. (half-title, title, pp. [17]-399) and 2 engraved plates (including one folding in two sheets) for volume VIII. Contemporary sheep-backed boards, flat spine gilt, gilt lettering pieces and numbering alternatively in green and red morocco
1 in stock
DSB, XII, 549; not in the Hoover Collection.
First edition, very rare.
The work is divided in two sections: the first seven volumes are entirely devoted to geology and mineralogy of the Vivarais and Velay area, the eighth and final volume (the work remained unfinished) is devoted to plants.
"Soulavie used superposition not only to determine the relative ages of the strata, but he also attempted to correlate age with fossil remains. He argued that the oldest strata also contain the largest proportion of extinct species, while the youngest show a predominance of forms with living analogues" (DSB).
The work was much discussed – Buffon was one of its strongest opponents. The 35 engraved plates depicting mainly geological formations are all by the author himself.
Copy without the rare "Avis des éditeurs" et the end of volume II, missing in most copies (a tyewritten copy is bound in).
Provenance: Adrien de Gasparin (rubber stamp on titles). Gasparin (1783-1862) was a famous French agronomist and an important politician in the region of Vaucluse.
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