SCHEUCHZER, PHYSIQUE SACRÉE, AMSTERDAM, 1732-1737, 8 VOLUMES, RED MOROCCO GILT

8 volumes, folio (408 x 254mm.), half-titles (except in vols 3 and 6), 2 engraved frontispiece portraits of the author, engraved frontispiece, titles printed in red and black with engraved or woodcut vignette, engraved headpiece at start of each volume, woodcut tailpieces, 757 engraved plates (of 758, lacking plate 628), numbered 1-750 (37-38 on one plate, 2 plates numbered 99 & 113 & 217 & 223 & 240 & 463 & 470, 3 plates numbered 446; 5 double-page), the rainbow plate partly coloured, CONTEMPORARY FRENCH RED MOROCCO GILT, spines gilt in compartments, gilt edges, lacking plate 628, paper flaw at foot of I2 in vol.2, extremities slightly rubbed

Nissen ZBI 3662

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A FINELY BOUND COPY OF SCHEUCHZER'S MAGNIFICENT WORK ON NATURAL HISTORY as it relates to the Bible, originally published in Latin from 1731 to 1735, with exquisite plates containing images of fossils, insects, birds, reptiles, plants, Jewish ceremonies and buildings, diseases, battles, the Temple of Solomon, the sky and the constellations, storms and plagues, all linked to passages from the Bible. He was a precursor to Lyell and Darwin in that he recognised that fossils were the remains of extinct animals, and he attempted to use the fossils in his extensive personal collection to clarify geological processes. One of his main theories was of the Flood, which he used to explain the presence of fossils of sea creatures high in the Alps.