Herbal.- Botany.- Bulliard (Pierre) Herbier de la France, ou Collection Complette des Plantes Indigènes de ce Royaume, 13 vol. in 15, engraved colour-printed frontispiece and 602 colour-printed plates, 4 engraved plates (2 of 'Observations microscopiques' of which 1 colour-printed, and 2 plates from 'Tableaux des Genres'), 12 engraved tables, lacking vol.2 text of "Histoire des Champignons de la France" (as often), Dr. J.R. Chapuis bookplates, hinges cracked or broken, gutters cracked with contents becoming loose, contemporary pink boards, spines faded, paper labels to spines, edges uncut, extremities slightly worn, [Great Flower Books, p.52; Nissen BBI 264; Stafleu & Cowan 905-912], folio, Paris, 1780-[93].

⁂ "One of the first colour printed botanical works". (Stafleu and Cowan).

As usual, it does not contain the second volume of text of "Histoire des Champignons de la France", which was published posthumously by Ventenant in 1812, destroyed by fire soon after printing and is found in only a few copies.

The present work is one of the most interesting colour-printed natural history works. The fine delicate plates are of a great scientific exactness, all by Bulliard, who drew, engraved and printed the plates himself. The colour-printing without retouching by hand, is in the Le Blon-Gauthier method, using a separate plate for each colour, a technique rarely employed for botanical books.

Our copy contains plates 601 and 602 (loosely inserted at the end) missing in most copies. Pritzel mentions 600 as a total and says: 'les planches 601 et 602 manquent habituellement' and according to Dr W. Junk they might have been destroyed during the revolution. Raspail republished these 2 plates in 1840, and it is these that are included here.