Paris, Garnier frères, 1853-1855. In 12 volumes. Very large 8vo (26.7 x 17.8 cm). Text with one engraved frontispiece, one hand-coloured frontispiece, one engraved portrait of Buffon, and 160 hand-coloured engraved plates and maps, for a total of 163 plates outside the text. Contemporary uniform dark blue half calf over pebbled boards; spines with four raised bands, compartments with gilt vignettes and titles. Iridescent endpapers. All edges gilt.

A fine, uniformly bound set of one of the many " Oeuvres Complètes" by this famous author, mostly dealing with birds (four volumes), mammals (three volumes) and minerals (three). With a preface by Marie-Jean-Pierre Flourens, dated 1855. The title pages are dated 1853-1854. Heim regards this edition as the eighth important edition after Buffon's death in 1788. The frontispiece plate to Volume II, " l'Homme et la Femme", is present. It is not listed in the plate index at the end of Vol. XII, and seems to be missing often. Nissen states an incorrect number of plates. Apart from some foxing in the text, mostly on tissue guards, an attractive set. R. Heim, 1952 " Buffon, Les grands naturalistes Français" p. 232; Hoover, 192; Nissen ZBI, 704.