DEZALLIER d’ARGENVILLE Antoine Joseph L’Histoire Naturelle éclaircie dans une de ses parties principales. La Lithologie et la Conchyliologie, dont l’une traite des pierres et l’autre des coquillages.

Schuh, Mineralogy & Crystallography: A Biobibliography, 1469 to 1920, 1337.

First edition, lavishly illustrated with 33 engraved plates.

Dezallier d’Argenville, one of the contributing authors of the Encycopedie, owned a large collection of stones, minerals and metals. Chapters concern practical use of shells, how to catch them and advice on collecting. The frontispiece engraved by Chedel after Boucher depicts an allegorical scene of the sea, the plates shows a variety of shells.

“The 33 engraved plates show mineralogical and conchological subjects…Scarce. An important work on lithology and conchology, including discussions of the contributions of the chief authors on these subjects, and a method of classification for shells, as well as tables in Latin and French” (Schuh).

Good copy.