Beschreibung:

REGNAULT, Nicolas François (1746-c.1810) and Genevive de Nangis REGNAULT (b.1746). La Botanique mise a la portée de tout le Monde ou collection des Plantes d'usage dans la Medecine, dans les Alimens et dans les Arts . Paris: the author and Didot le jeune, [1770]-1774-[1780]. First edition of 'Perhaps the most impressive French botanical book of the period' (Blunt), illustrated with 475 hand-coloured engraved plates. Besides listing plants with medicinal uses, the work also covers those to be used in gastronomy or in the arts. It took twelve years to complete. The goal of its authors was to produce a botanical treatise for practical use, hence the inclusion of a ‘Table des Maladies’ explaining how each plant should be used against each disease, be it migraine, insomnia, vertigo, apoplexy, or even drunkenness. Many of the hand-coloured engraved plates are the work of Geneviève de Nangis Regnault. Each plate, as well as each printed description, was printed on single sheets; and, as stated in the ‘Avertissement’, the book was to be organised by the owners according to their preference; hence the arrangement in 8 volumes here. This copy contains the 2pp. 'Table des Noms', concluding with the 'Privilège du Roi' dated 1774, but not the 1pp. table of names of plants sometimes included in the 'Supplement,' nor the additional printed leaf headed 'La Botanique ... ordre de la Distribution' (noted in the Plesch copy). The printed index has been replaced by manuscript index leaves; due to a lack of printed titles, there is a mixture of shorter inserted copies and manuscript calligraphic titles that were obviously inserted at the time of binding. Blunt & Stearn, p.171; Johnston 517; Dunthorne 256; Great Flower Books (1990), p.131; Nissen BBI 1600; Pritzel 7475; Stafleu & Cowan 8810; Soultrait 18th century 118. 8 volumes, folio (484 x 364mm). 6 hand-coloured engraved titles in vols 1-2 and 5-8, those to vols 1, 5 and 6 seemingly supplied from shorter copies and tipped onto adjoining leaves, title to vol. 2 folded and loosely inserted, the volume numbers supplied in manuscript on the titles in vol 1, and 5-8; 6 pen and ink manuscript fly-titles in vols 1-6, those in vols 3 and 5 signed by the ‘master calligrapher, Bernard of Rouen’; 472 hand-coloured engraved plates by or after the Regnaults comprising 3 plates of botanical details numbered I-III, and 469 plates numbered with in ink manuscript at head of plates and explanatory text leaves; one engraved leaf 'Introduction la Botanique' printed recto and verso at beginning of vol. I; 7 leaves of contemporary manuscript index leaves at the end of vols 1 and 3-8; 1 letterpress leaf ‘Table des noms des plantes’ at end of vol. 5; one letterpress leaf ‘Advertissement’ at beginning of vol. 8; 6 letterpress leaves 'Table des Maladies' bound in at end of vol. 8 (occasional faint spotting and browning, mainly confined to vol. 1, a few minor short marginal tears, 5 plates lightly creased with some associated minor soiling). Contemporary green-stained vellum, small paperlabels to upper covers with vol. numbers in ink mansucript (extremities lightly rubbed, corners and joints more heavily, vols 1-6 with head- and tailcaps defective). Provenance : cost price in contemporary hand on front pastedown of vol. 1.