Edition originale.
Publiée à titre posthume par Dominique Chabre et François Louis de Graffenried d’Yverdon, cette véritable encyclopédie de botanique décrit plus de 5000 plantes et est illustrée de plus de 3500 bois in texte.
Il existe plusieurs tirages de cette édition originale qui n'ont pas tous été précisément décrits par les bibliographes. Il existe ainsi des variantes au niveau des feuillets préliminaires, dans certains exemplaires des ajouts (Au Puissant Seigneur de Graffenried) au verso de la page de titre du tome 2, d'un feuillet (Dominus a Graffenried) au tome 2 et d'un feuillet (Stances sur l'impression) au tome 3.
La plupart des exemplaires connus sont du second tirage (Norman, The Cleveland Collections 212, Hunt...).
Notre exemplaire présente les caractéristiques du premier tirage telles que décrites par Hunt (avec les cahiers Secund Ooooo et Secund Aaaaa au tome 3). Il est aussi complet de la table du tome 3 (non requise par Hunt).

Références:

Norman [141 (later issue)], Arber [pp.113-114], Hunt [251], Nissen [103], Pritzel [504], D.S.B. [""Bauhin's reputation as a botanist rests upon the encyclopedic Historia plantarum universalis (1650-1651), which was not published until thirty-seven years after his death. It completely overshadows the works published during his lifetime, which give only a limited indication of his originality. . Despite the delay in publication, the work was not obsolete. It contained the description and synonyms of 5,226 plants, primarily from Europe, but with some Eastern and American floras. This represented the fruits of the explorations of Bauhin and his informants, and compilation from ancient and contemporary literature. It also indicates the great progress of botany in the sixteenth century: Brunfels had described 240 plants in 1532; the less accurate Historia plantarum generalis of 1587 reached 3000; the only works to describe more than this number in the succeeding century were by Jean Bauhin and his brother Gaspard"], The Cleveland Collections [212].

ENGLISH DESCRIPTION

Three Folio (385x238 mm).
- Vol 1 : Engraved title page, (10)-601 (i.e. 595)-(1bl)-440-9-(3 bl.) pages. Signature : π¹ 2π⁴ [A-T]⁶ V⁴ [X-3D]⁶, [A-2K]⁶ 2L⁸ 2M⁶ 2N⁸ ¶⁶ and the engraved title by Conrad Meyer. Ll6 and ¶6 blank.
- Vol 2 : Engraved title page, (8)-398 (i.e. 396) pages, (16)-[399] à 1074-12 pages / π¹ 2π¹ ¶² [A-2K]⁶ 2K¶⁶ 2K2¶² [2L-4F]⁶ 4G⁴ [4H-4V]⁶ 4X⁴ †⁶ and the engraved title by Conrad Meyer. 2K2¶ blank.
- Vol 3 : Engraved title page, (8)-212-866 (i.e. 882)-(2bl.)-12 pages. / π¹ 2π¹ ¶² [A-2C]⁴ 2D², [A-O]⁶ [P-4N]⁴ PRIM.4O⁴ SECVND.4O⁴ [4P-4V]⁴ 4X⁶ [4Y-4Z]⁴ PRIM.5A⁴ SECVND.5A⁴ [5B-5E]⁴ 5F² [5G-5H]⁴ 5I⁶ ¶⁶ and the engraved title by Conrad Meyer. 5L6 blank.
Numerous mispaginations throught.

Contemporary full stiff vellum. Binding a little soiled. Head of spine of volume 3 chipped. Small lack on turn-in part volume 2. Volume 1 bound without free endpapers. Margins of first two leaves a little chipped. Some minor stains of table pages of volume 3.
Overall a very good copy.

First edition, first issue of Bauhin's magnum opus. Describing over 5,000 plants in a meticulous manner, the Historia plantarum first appeared in 1650 after 31 years in preparation. Bauhin, a Swiss botanist and physician, endeavored to describe not only the organs and properties of the plants herein, but their ecology as well.
This first issue is rare. Most of copies known are from later issues (Norman, The Cleveland Collections, ...).
First issue with the gathering Secund Oooo et Secund Aaaaa on the third volume as described in Hunt, and with the index of part 3 (not required in Hunt).

Références:

Norman [141 (later issue)], Arber [pp.113-114], Hunt [251], Nissen [103], Pritzel [504], D.S.B. [""Bauhin's reputation as a botanist rests upon the encyclopedic Historia plantarum universalis (1650-1651), which was not published until thirty-seven years after his death. It completely overshadows the works published during his lifetime, which give only a limited indication of his originality. . Despite the delay in publication, the work was not obsolete. It contained the description and synonyms of 5,226 plants, primarily from Europe, but with some Eastern and American floras. This represented the fruits of the explorations of Bauhin and his informants, and compilation from ancient and contemporary literature. It also indicates the great progress of botany in the sixteenth century: Brunfels had described 240 plants in 1532; the less accurate Historia plantarum generalis of 1587 reached 3000; the only works to describe more than this number in the succeeding century were by Jean Bauhin and his brother Gaspard"], The Cleveland Collections [212].