Early birthday present: 257 year old natural sciences book!

[triggur]

I am a bibliophile. I collect old science/medical books up through the 19th century.

For my birthday I got an early present from my mother: "LE SPECTACLE DE LA NATURE", a very old book about plants and animals-- my oldest piece so far.

M.DCC.LIV. = 1754.

Comments

[thalesin]

Very nice, I may ask you to look up some things if they come to mind. If you don't mind :>

[triggur]

If you can read old french, sure.

[triggur]

Thanks, sexeh ;)

[kakoukorakos]

Some of those artistic natural history books with color plates from that time period are quite valuable. It was quite an artistic revolution back then, to be drawing plants and animals on their own merit and trying to get all the minute details correct.

[triggur]

This one has delicate black and white leaf plates.

[triggur]

I think you nailed it; I didn't think to look for a long-s there so late after it fell out of usage, but its definition of "not often" fits nicely.

Sounds like a $4 word there. :)

[wingywoof]

I love, lovelove, love old books like that. What a cool piece of history to get as a birthday gift!

I had a cool find recently that you may also enjoy. Before "Spon & Chamberlain's Engines & Boilers" circa 1901, I had never heard of the concept of 'running with the sun.'

[triggur]

Neat!