Expériences pour servir à l'histoire de la génération des animaux et des plantes. Avec une ébauche de l'histoire des êtres organisés avant leur fécondation par Jean Senebier

Genève, (Bonnant pour) Barthelemi Chirol, M. DCC. LXXXV., 1785, in-8vo, 2 ff. + XCVI («Ebauche ...» et «Réfutation ...») + 413 p. (+ 1 vide) + 3 planches gravées dépl. (par Cagnoni), les premières p. lég. brunies, exlibris: M. Callet & Nazario Pavoni, cartonnage original d’époque. Coiffe légèrement touchée.

Harteveld Rare Books Ltd.

Ben Harteveld

Fribourg, Switzerland

P., Duplain, 1787, 3 volumes in 8 reliés en pleine basane, dos ornés de fers dorés, tranches rouges (reliures de l'époque) (2 coiffes légèrement usées, plats légèrement frottés, un mors légèrement fendu), T.1 : (3), 14pp., 352pp., 6 planches dépliantes, T.2 : (2), 730pp., (1), T.3 : (2), 96pp., 413pp., 3 planches dépliantes

1787 xcvi, 413 p., 3 folded engraved plates, full contemporary marbled calf, spine gilt with five raised bands. Marbled endpapers. Edges red. Some wear on lower corners. A small waterstain on upper (blank) margin of part of the text and plates. Small previous owner’s (De Milliéres) stamp on title-page (faint) and first page. A good, sound and tightly bound copy of this work which was published in three volumes. This third volume is complete in itself. It was also published separately and is treating only the reproduction of animals and plants.Among the many dedicated natural philosophers of the eighteenth century, Spallanzani stands preeminent for applying bold and imaginative experimental methods to an extraordinay range of hypotheses and phenomena. His main scientific interests were biological and he acquired a mastery of microscopy. His use of microscopes enabled him to do the important discoveries in the field of reproduction as shown here in this book.