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DUHAMEL DU MONCEAU, Henri Louis (1700-1782). Traité des Arbres et Arbustes qui se Cultivent en France en Pleine Terre . Paris: H. L. Guerin & L. F. Delatour, 1755.
DUHAMEL DU MONCEAU, Henri Louis (1700-1782). Traité des Arbres et Arbustes qui se Cultivent en France en Pleine Terre . Paris: H. L. Guerin & L. F. Delatour, 1755. 2 volumes, 4 o (255 x 202 mm). Half-titles. 250 woodcut plates, 4 folding engraved plates, and numerous engraved headpieces. (Some occasional browning.) Contemporary mottled calf, spines gilt (some wear at spine ends, front joint of vol. 2 starting). FIRST EDITION of the most important work on trees and shrubs to appear since the first publication of John Evelyn's Sylva in 1664. Duhamel describes more than a thousand trees in alphabetical order using Tournefort's classification. The large woodcuts are in part printed from blocks made by Giogio Liberale and Wolfgang Meyerpeck for Mattioli's herbal two centuries earlier and which Duhamel had acquired for use in this work. (See lots 152 and 153 for the original woodblocks.) Traité des Arbres was followed over the next twelve years by six more works by Duhamel on various aspects of trees and their cultivation. Hunt 552; Johnston/ Cleveland Collections 439; Nissen BBI 547; An Oak Spring Silva 2; Stafleu & Cowan TL2 1544.