HALES Stephen La Statique des végétaux, et l’analyse de l’air. Expériences nouvelles lues à la Société Royale de Londres. Ouvrage traduit de l’anglois, par M. de Buffon.

Neville, I, 79 ; Cole, 237 ; Dibner, Heralds of Science, 26 (for the first edition 1727); D.S.B. VI, pp.35-47; Pritzel, 3700; Horblit, 45a ‘(for the first edition).

First edition of this French translation by count Buffon, one of his earliest scientific works. This copy in second isue, with the title page at the adress of Debure.

“An influential translation which has the famous ‘Préface du traducteur,’ in which Buffon praises the experimental method, and includes Hales’s appendix of 1733” (D.S.B.).

The most important work on plant physiology in the 18th century. An English botanist, Hales studied the movement of sap, using skillfully conducted experiments. Buffon, who translated the text, prefaced it with a preface which, a century and a half before Claude Bernard, was one of the first texts to openly advocate the priority of experiment over theory.

“Stephen Hales, an English clergyman and natural philosopher, was one of the earliest researchers in plant physiology. His Vegetable staticks is mainly concerned with investigations on the movement of sap in plants and also many other interesting and important problems in the fields of plant physiology” (Dibner).

“The first complete account of the physiology of plants, including the reaction with air and movement of the sap” (Horblit).

Provenance This copy belonged to and was was bound for Louis II Colbert (1709-1761), Marquis de Linières, grandson to the Great Colbert. Small wormhole to spine with small portions missing to head and tail.