Complete Five-Volume 1831 Leather-Bound Set of "Buffon’s Natural History"

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Description

On offer is a complete 1831, 5-volume American edition of "A Natural History of the Globe, of Man, of Beasts, … Read more On offer is a complete 1831, 5-volume American edition of "A Natural History of the Globe, of Man, of Beasts, Birds, Fishes, Reptiles, Insects, and Plants."

THE SERIES
The content is primarily adapted from the groundbreaking work of French naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, with modern updates from later scientists like Georges Cuvier. The series was edited by British editor John Wright. It was co-published by Gray and Bowen in Boston and Thomas Desilver, Jr. in Philadelphia.
This compact 5-volume set was a highly popular compendium designed to make Enlightenment-era natural sciences accessible to the general 19th-century public. It boasts "Five Hundred Engravings," featuring fine woodcut illustrations of animals, plants, and human varieties.

BUFFON
Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (September 7, 1707 – April 16, 1788) was a French naturalist, mathematician, and cosmologist. He held the position of director at the Jardin du Roi, the King’s Garden, now called the Jardin des Plantes. Buffon's works influenced the next two generations of naturalists,

THE BELLES LETTRES SOCIETY
The printed bookplates state that this set belonged to the Belles Lettres Society of Dickinson College, located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Established in 1786, it is one of the oldest literary societies in the United States and it still exists today. In the 18th and 19th centuries, college life did not revolve around sports or Greek life; instead, it centered on literary societies.
Founded on February 22, 1786, by eleven students, Belles Lettres was created to foster skills in oratory, essay writing, and intense political debate.
The plates display ink signatures from student librarians verifying society inventory, including J.A. Inebils (dated 1844) and J. Diehl (dated 1847). The front endpapers are heavily annotated with old call numbers, "Belonging to..." declarations, name scribbles ("John Lee..."), ink spills, and a hand-drawn celestial/coordinate map, capsules of student enthusiasm.

CONDITION
The books are bound in their original, full brown calfskin leather. They feature gold-stilted horizontal bands on the spine and matching gilt-stamped lettering reading “Buffons’s Natural History” alongside roman numerals, Vol. I to V.
Considered “shelf-handsome,” the set is in fair to good antiquarian condition. The leather spines and boards show significant surface scuffing, rubbing, edge wear, and micro-cracking along the external hinges, which is highly consistent for early 19th-century leather bindings.
The pages show heavy foxing (the rusty brown spots caused by oxidized iron or fungal growth in old paper) and general thumb-toning, both typical for American paper stocks of this era.

Signature/Maker’s Mark: Title page (photo #4). Dimensions: (Vol. 1) 6”h x 4”w x1.5”d; (Vol. 2) 6”h x 4”w x 1.75”d; (Vol. 3) 6”h x 4”w x 1.5”d; (Vol. 4) 6”h x 4”w x 1.25”d; (Vol. 5) 6”h x 4”w x 1.25”d. See less