Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire des Insectes. Vol. I-VI

Description:

First editions. Tome I: Sur les chenilles et sur les papillons; Tome II: Suite de l'histoire des chenilles et des papillons; et l'histoire des insectes ennemis des chenilles; Tome III: Histoire des vers mineurs des feuilles, des teignes, des fausses teignes, des pucerons, des ennemis des pucerons, des faux pucerons, et l'histoire des galles des plantes, et de leurs insectes; Tome IV: Histoire des gallinsectes, des progallinsectes, et des mouches à deux ailes; Tome V: Suite de l'histoire des mouches à deux ailes, et l'histoire de plusieurs mouches à quatre ailes; savoir, des mouches à scie, des cigales, et des abeilles; Tome VI: Suite de l'histoire des mouches à quatre ailes, avec un supplément à celle des mouches à deux ailes.

Nissen ZBI: 3315

Reaumur, René-Antoine Ferchault (1683-1757) was a French entomologist who also had a wide range of scientific interests.

In this foundational entomological work, Reaumur made new biological and ecological observations about insects, noting that the number of insects is prodigious. Of the twelve to thirteen thousand plants known to botanists in his day, he observed that each plant ‘has its own special insect’ and that some like the oak tree supports hundreds of different species of insects, and that these are the prey of particular predators.

The work is famous for its many fine engravings by Simonneau, Fillioeul, Haussaret, and Lucas, The six volumes contain 267 engraved plates, many of them folding plates, depicting insects, anatomical structures, nests, and developmental stages with remarkable precision.

Condition

6 vols, 4to, Vols I-V: orig. calf boards, professionally rebacked in matching style; raised bands, gilt tooling to compartments, corners restored, new endpapers. 'Ex dono authoris' in manuscript to foot title pages of several volumes. Neat ink-stamp to title pages; Vol. VI: cont. mottled calf, raised bands, gilt tooling to compartments; marbled endpapers. Some wear to corners and to head/foot of spine; front joint partly split at top and bottom. Contents very crisp and clean. Good set.