TOURNEFORT, Joseph Pitton de.

Paris, de l’Imprimerie Royale, 1694. 1-3. 8vo. Engr. half-title,+ (20),+ 562,+ (20) pp; engr. half-title,+ 234 engr plates [nr. 1-234]; engr, half-title,+ 217 engr. plates [nrs. 235-451]. Some spotting, in text on title and on pp. 32-33, with loss of a letter, 64-65 and 235-236. Plates nr. 224 269 and 356 with off-setting. Somewhat worn contemporary full mottled calf, richly gilt spines with raised bands and gilt lettering. Three volumes, tears at heads, tails and hinges. From the library of Nils Fries, with his bookplate. Stafleu 14780. Nissen 1976. First edition of this important fore-runner of Linnaeus. The French botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort (1656-1708) made in this work a clear distinction between genus and species, and he was able to sort his 7000 plant species into 700-plus genera, making classification easier and preparing the way for Linnaeus. ”The Élémens and the Institutiones are milestones in the history of taxonomy not only for the conceptual advances they reflect but also for the wholly new form in which they are cast. The text of the Élémens is in French, accompanied by a technical dictionary, and it is closely related to Aubriet's illustrations. The result is a well-integrated and easily accessible whole that could not fail to produce a sensation. Thus, although Tournefort's work disregarded the major biological discoveries of the seventeenth century, within its self-imposed limits it clearly outlined the avenues of study that led to the modern system of classification” (DSB). The fine engravings are made by Claude Aubriet (1655-1742). The Latin edition ”Institutiones rei Herbariae” was published in 1700.