Beschreibung:

BLOCH, Marcus Elieser (1723-1799). Ichthyologie, ou histoire naturelle, générale et particulière des poissons. Avec des figures enluminées, dessinées d'après nature. Translated from the German by Jean-Charles Thibault de Laveaux. Berlin: Chez l'auteur. Imprimerie Louis Phillippe Wegener (parts 1-6) and Godefroy Hayn (parts 7-12), 1785-1797 [vol. I 1795]. 12 parts in 6 volumes, large 2° (458 x 282mm). 12 engraved title vignettes and 432 FINE HAND-COLOURED ENGRAVED PLATES by F. G. Berger, Berger Sen., G. Bodenehr, C. Darchow, P. Haas J. F. Hennig, C. Ludwig Schmidt, J. G. Schmidt and others after J. F Hennig, Krüger jun. and others. (Lacks engraved portrait frontispiece and three half-titles, slight tears or paper-faults most obviously to the title of part XI, neatly repaired, crinkling and minute hole in plate 142, light old dampstaining to title of part I, lower blank margins of plates 73 and 218 neatly reinforced.) Dark green hard-grain morocco gilt, covers with decorative rule and roll-tool border, the spine in seven compartments with raised bands, two with onlaid fawn and light brown morocco lettering-pieces, the others decorated with various small tools, turn-ins with gilt triple fillets, g.e., by J. Mackenzie 'Bookbinder to the King'. FIRST EDITION IN FRENCH and a fine clean copy of the most beautiful book on fishes ever published. Many of the plates are heightened with silver, some are printed in brilliant colours and finished by hand. This copy was apparently bound by Mackenzie between 1834 and 1837. A number of the fly leaves are watermarked 1834 and Mackenzie's use of the 'Bookbinder to the King' tag would imply a date of 1837 or earlier. Guard leaves were introduced to protect the plates. The bookseller's note on the front free-endpaper of volume I suggests that, unlike a number of the other works in this sale, this copy was not bound especially for Beriah Botfield. The note reads '12 vols in 6, fine original set, 36 guineas.' The Plates numbered 271 - 344 bear, in addition to artist, engraver and name of fish, the name of those who bore the expense of engraving the plate: mainly nobility, scientific institutions and wealthy individuals. Bloch was born in Ansbach and studied medicine and the natural sciences; he practised as a physician in Berlin, and whilst the Ichthyologie is his masterpiece, he also wrote various other important scientific works. The German edition of the Ichthyologie , entitled Allgemeine Naturgeschichte der Fische , was published in 1782-1795. Nissen ZBI 416; Wood p. 244 "One of the early and fundamental treatises on general ichthyology by a well-known authority". (6)