Nürnberg, G. N. Raspe, [1777]-1784-[1799]. 14 volumes in 15. 8vo (19.5 x 12.2 cm). Frontispiece portrait of Linnaeus. Title pages, 9943 pp.; 121 large, multi-folded, engraved plates [1-105, 5b, 12b, 16b, 16c, 19b, 24b, 41b, 42b, 44b, 50b, 51b, 53b, 55b, 57b, 57c, 66b]. Uniform contemporary half calf over olive paper covered boards. Spines with gilt ornaments and two pale olive morocco labels with gilt chains and title.

An extremely rare, truly complete copy (including the usually lacking Plate XII b) of the first German edition of the complete botanical section of Maarten Houttuyn's illustrated and expanded version of the Linnaeus' Systema Naturae, 12th edition (1767), titled Natuurlyke Historie of Uitvoerige Beschryving der Dieren, Planten en Mineraalen. This German edition has a portrait of Linnaeus as frontispiece in volume I. This edition was again expanded, compared with the Dutch edition (Soulsby, 73), which was published in 14 less voluminous parts. In this German edition, which has a total of nearly ten thousand pages, Volume 13 comes in two parts. The editors were G. F. Christmann (Volumes I-VII); and G. W. F. Panzer (Volumes VIII-XIII). A breakdown is as follows: 1. 798; 1-11, 5b; 2. [vi], 548, [xxviii]; 12-17, 12b, 16b, 16c; 3. [ii], 684; 18-25, 19b, 24b; 4. [vi], 709, [lxv]; 26-37; 5. [ii], 871; 38-44, 41b, 42b, 44b; 6. [vi], 696; 45-51, 50b; 7. [ii], 585; 52-57, 51b, 53b, 55b; 8. [vi], 794; 58-65, 57b, 57c; 9. [vi], 630, [ii - publ. cat.]; 66-69, 66b; 10. [vi], 381, [clxxxiv]; 70-76; 11. [vi (though numbered III-VIII)], 664, [xvi]; 77-86; 12. [vi (though numbered III-VIII)], 840; 87 [numbered XIII]- 93; 13.1. [vi], 562, [xxii]; 94-101, 105; 13.2. [x], 565, [xv]; 102-104; 14. [vi], 614 (index to the whole work); no plates. Plate 87 is erroneously numbered XIII. This is the second, unaltered issue, with the years 1799 and 1784 for the first and third volume. Boards slightly rubbed, internally clean, two different old stamps, including a small, round stamp of the Internation Research Society, on the front pastedowns. One volume expertly bound to match. A very good set. Soulsby, 577a. Neither in Pritzel nor in Nissen, BBI.