A Philosophical Account of the Works of Nature. Endeavouring to set forth the several Gradations Remarkable in the Mineral, Vegetable, and Animal Parts of the Creation. Tending the Composition of a Scale of Life...
London: Printed for W. Mears, 1721. First edition.
Quarto (10 13/16" x 8 15/16", 275mm x 225mm). Title-page printed in red and black. Eight-page list of subscribers. 28 hand-colored engraved plates, of which one is double-page. Wood-engraved head- and tail-pieces.
Bound in contemporary speckled paneled calf (rebacked). On the spine, five raised bands. In the panels, a bling fillet top-and-bottom with a blind central ornament. Title gilt to second panel, author gilt to fourth. Edges of the boards gilt. All edges of the text-block speckled red and black.
Rebacked. Fore-corners bumped with some wear and rubbing. Front calf coming away from the rebacking. Some worming-loss to the rear board. Internally mild toning overall. Early ownership inscription of John Tasburgh on the title-page and a shelf-mark on the front paste-down.
Richard Bradley (1668-1732) was a respected botanist whose early ecological ideas, on the balance of nature and biological productivity, added to his reputation. Chapters include subjects as diverse as the "Appearances in Earths and Mineral Bodies", "Corall, Coraline, Truffle, Fungus, Sponge, and such Bodies as possess the first degree of Vegetative Life", "Plants and Super-Plants", and "An account of such lands in England as are stiled Barren; with some remarks for their Improvement, and some Remarks relating to Fish-Ponds". Sir Isaac Newton and Sir Christopher Wren are among the subscribers.
Pritzel 1077.
Item #6JLR0047
Price: $3,200