"Illustrated Buffon, or Natural history of tetrapods, birds, fish and some reptiles" is, first of all, a unique opportunity to touch the origins modern natural science and look at the world through the eyes of a European of the Enlightenment.
This book differs from the modern zoological atlases familiar to us. Although the editors did a great job, trying to bring Buffon's text closer to current knowledge about the world around him. Very delicate notes are responsible for this, which do not distract attention, but allow parents to avoid embarrassing situations and answer all questions that arise as they read the book.
The main thing in it is the old-fashioned charm of Buffon's texts and Rabier's illustrations, which makes us recall other, it would seem, also outdated books: for example, "ABC Benois" or "Science Fun" by Tom Tit. But it is to these publications that one wants to return again and again, because the spirit of the time and the happy childhood of past eras lives in them. Such books are literally created for the family library, they will be carefully removed from the shelf, looked at together and surprised at how the world around us is changing.
The appearance of the book also contributes to this: a noble cardboard cover, a fabric spine, and aged pages. It's hard to imagine that we are holding the 2014 edition in our hands.
|
The book includes articles about animals from the multi-volume Natural History of Comte de Buffon, an outstanding French naturalist and writer of the 18th century. The illustrations by the famous animal painter Benjamin Rabier were made for an edition published in Paris in 1913. The dynamic, sharp drawings of Rabier turned out to be surprisingly consonant with Buffon's unhurried reasoning about the impudence of jackals, the meekness of gray lizards, or the pitiful and wretched life of an ordinary heron. Under one cover, the aristocratic and thorough 18th century and the impetuous and at that time still very young century of the 20th century met. Vivid and heartfelt descriptions of animals, emotional drawings, a voluminous reference book, fine editorial work and excellent printing performance. Publisher: "Labyrinth" (2014) |
Other books on similar topics:
BUFFON Georges Louis Leclerc
(Buffon, Georges-Louis Leclerc)
(1707-1788), French naturalist, popularizer of science. Born September 7, 1707 in Montbart (Burgundy). He studied law, first at the Jesuit College in Dijon, then at the University of Dijon. Later he studied at the medical faculty of the University of Angers. He traveled a lot in France and Italy, sometimes in the company of the English Duke of Kingston and his mentor N. Hickman. It was the latter that aroused Buffon's interest in natural science. In 1735, under the auspices of the Academy of Sciences, Buffon's translation of Vegetable Staticks by the English researcher S. Gales was published. This important work, summarizing the results of many of the author's experiments in the field of plant physiology, was a rare exception against the background of the overwhelming majority of botanical studies of that time, which amounted to attempts to systematize plants. Buffon, in his preface to the translation of Gales's book, sharply criticized the narrowness of this approach. In 1738 Buffon completed the translation of Newton's work on the method of "fluxions" (differential and integral calculus). This work was published by the Academy in 1740. In the same year, Buffon was elected a member of the Royal Society of London and until the end of his days he maintained close contacts with British science. In 1739-1788 he was director of the Botanical Gardens in Paris. Buffon died in Paris on April 16, 1788. Buffon's main work is the General and Private Natural History (Histoire Naturelle, gnrale et particulire); 36 of its volumes were published during the lifetime of the scientist (the first of them began to appear in 1749), and 8 were published posthumously. The theory of the evolution of the Earth, which was intensively discussed at that time, opens this work. The earth, according to Buffon, was formed from that part of the sun that broke away from it after the collision of the sun with a comet. First, a condensation of a gaseous cloud occurred, then continents began to form, and this process continues to this day. Buffon's views met with such a sharp condemnation of theologians that later he was forced to expound his theories more carefully. In the second volume, devoted to man, the observations of many travelers and researchers are discussed in detail, indicating that the diversity of customs, beliefs, physical features of people and the color of their skin is due primarily to the natural effect of "climate". At the same time, "climate" was understood not only as conditions determined by the geographical latitude of a given area and height above sea level, but also its openness to winds, proximity to large water bodies, not to mention the average temperature, precipitation and humidity. Several hundred pages on this subject, together with an extensive appendix, give a good idea of 18th-century anthropology. The nature of the entire publication undertaken by Buffon is most fully reflected in the volumes devoted to the world of animals and plants. He not only described many animals and plants, but also expressed the idea of the variability of species (as opposed to the views of K. Linnaeus), the unity of the animal and flora. This work put Buffon in the first row of Charles Darwin's predecessors. According to Buffon, organisms that have common ancestors, undergo long-term changes under the influence of environment and become less and less alike. In 1778, Buffon's book On the Ages of Nature (Les poques de la nature) was published, covering a wide range of problems - from cosmology and anthropology to world history; it was addressed to the general public. Buffon's preoccupation with the form of presenting scientific questions was reflected in his Discourse on Style (Discours sur le style, 1753), timed to coincide with his election to the French Academy. Buffon made a bold criticism of the language that was then accepted in science, and stood up for its simple and understandable form, the most suitable for a clear presentation of thoughts. Style, according to Buffon, is "the man himself", and not some kind of external decoration. In his scientific predilections, Buffon followed his age: from mathematics and physics to the sciences of nature. However, chemistry, which at that time was undergoing a period of rapid development, did not fall into the sphere of Buffon's interests, mainly due to the works of Priestley and Lavoisier. In his letter to Madison in 1788, T. Jefferson wrote about Buffon's attitude to chemistry: "He is inclined to consider it as a simple concoction." This remark in its own way characterizes Buffon well: he could write an impressive work within the framework of what was already well known by that time, but he was not always able to appreciate the successes of his contemporaries. During Buffon's lifetime, scholars treated him with reverence and conservative theologians with suspicion. The general public read his writings. Later, preference began to be given to other authors, but Buffon's authority among lovers of natural history remained unquestioned for a long time.
LITERATURE
Buffon J. General and private natural history, ch. 1-10. St. Petersburg, 1802-1827 Kanaev I.I. Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon. M. - L., 1966
Buffon Georges Louis Leclerc: Buffon Illustrated, or Natural History of Quadrupeds, Birds, Fishes, and Certain Reptiles.
This unique book (the publication of which one could not even dream of) included articles about animals from the multi-volume "Natural History" by Comte de Buffon, an outstanding French naturalist and writer of the 18th century.
The illustrations by the famous animal painter Benjamin Rabier were made for an edition published in Paris in 1913.
The dynamic, sharp drawings of Rabier turned out to be surprisingly consonant with Buffon's unhurried reasoning about the impudence of jackals, the meekness of gray lizards, or the pitiful and wretched life of an ordinary heron. Under one cover, the aristocratic and thorough 18th century and the impetuous and at that time still very young century of the 20th century met. 
Vivid and heartfelt descriptions of animals (which today look amazing), emotional drawings, a voluminous reference apparatus, fine editorial work and excellent printing work.
This is a visual history of the development of science, an amazing collectible book, a gift for children and adults. Incredible book, unlike any of the modern ones. About the devotion and affection of dogs and cats, the coldness and deceit of animals. Animals here get human features, a wonderful example of belles-lettres. The book's value lies not in the accuracy of the biological descriptions, which change over time, but in the approach. You can see where science began. 
The book is very expensive - an option for a memorable gift.
The book is large, size 300x230, 176 pages, hardcover, color illustrations.
"Illustrated Buffon, or Natural history of tetrapods, birds, fish and some reptiles" is, first of all, a unique opportunity to touch the origins of modern natural science and look at the world around us through the eyes of a European of the Enlightenment.
This book differs from the modern zoological atlases familiar to us. Although the editors did a great job, trying to bring Buffon's text closer to current knowledge about the world around him. Very delicate notes are responsible for this, which do not distract attention, but allow parents to avoid embarrassing situations and answer all questions that arise as they read the book. 
For many years in a row, Joseph, servant of Georges Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, owner of Montbard, Marquis of Rougemont, Viscount of Quinn, owner of Mairia, Garans, Berg and other lands, director of the Botanical Gardens in Paris, member of the French Academy, Royal Academy of Sciences, and so on. and so on, woke up his master at exactly 5 in the morning, not paying attention to the abuse and desperate resistance of the latter. For this, Joseph was entitled to a separate reward. Having woken up, Georges Louis Leclerc Comte de Buffon put on his best outfit, combed his hair as if he were going to a solemn meeting, and went to his office - to create in the face of the Universe and posterity.
For more than forty years he worked on the monumental "Natural History", which was supposed to contain "... everything that is found in the Universe ... a monstrous multitude of tetrapods, birds, fish, insects, plants, minerals." He re-read what he had written several times and put off resting. “There is no need to rush,” Buffon repeated to his secretary, “in a few days your eyes will be refreshed, you will see everything better and you will always find something to correct.” The famous naturalist, a member of many academies, cared not only about the actual accuracy, but also about the style of his works. Perhaps that is why Buffon's study aroused keen interest not only among his colleagues, but also among the general public. 
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the French publisher Garnier decided to publish the most interesting articles of the huge Natural History. He offered to illustrate the book to Benjamin Rabier, the largest animal painter. Rabier collaborated with children's magazines, published La Fontaine's fables, and drew his own books.
Rabier devoted several years to working on a grandiose project. He spent hours watching animals in the Paris Botanical Gardens and the Vincennes Zoo - because now his task was maximum reliability! The animals in this book do not cry, do not laugh, they definitely cannot speak, and yet Rabier's drawings are infinitely far from "reference" illustrations, indifferently fixing the length of the paws, the structure of the body, the color of the coat - behind the much more restrained images than in children's books or fables one can feel the temperament, individual traits, even if not of each animal - of each species. 
This book went to the Russian reader for more than a century. We have tried to translate it as it would have been done at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, to convey the charm of Buffon's style. Having shoveled mountains of reference books and textbooks on zoology, countless "Pictures from the Life of Animals", even books on hunting, we compiled something like a "Russian-Russian" dictionary: what turns did they use then, talking about the habits or lifestyle of animals? About their voice? Appearances? We learned that in those days birds and animals had “gastronomic whims of taste”, that the bream “of a quiet and very meek disposition”, the badger “keeps its hole in an unusual order”, the sea magpies “strictly maintain politeness among themselves and for non-observance of decency make a desperate fight”, sparrows are tall, “the gluttony of cubs brings a lot of trouble to their parents”, and the hare is “wonderful sensitive, cunning, angry and fruitful. We kept calling for help from the National Corpus of the Russian Language, asking if we could use this or that expression in late XIX century. In general, it was difficult, but interesting. And we really hope that reading this book will be just as exciting as working on it.
A foreigner or noble provincial who came to late XVIII century to Paris and who wanted to get acquainted with its sights, sought first of all to see the Count of Buffon. Still would! After all, this name is known throughout Europe, and how could one visit Paris and not see the one whose books are read out as the most popular novels?
However, not everyone managed to see Buffon. A monument - this is please, see it as much as you like (a monument was erected to him during his lifetime - is it a joke ?!), but Buffon himself is not: the count is already old, he values \u200b\u200bevery hour, he writes ... For almost forty years Buffon has been writing, and for almost four decades the reading public of Europe has been fond of his books. What lucky chance led him to this path, who advised him to take up the pen? After all, he never thought of becoming what he eventually became - the most famous naturalist writer, one of the most popular people not only in France, but also abroad.
For most of his life, Buffon was called Georges Louis Leclerc. Only when he was already famous, the king granted him the title of earl and he became comte de Buffon.
He did not write novels and poems, and he did not intend to write. Science attracted him. He firmly decided to write scientific papers. About what? For the young Leclerc, this did not matter: he remembered his studies in mathematics and wrote a number of mathematical treatises, remembered medicine and law - he also wrote on these topics, described his observations on nature made during his travels. And Leclerc carefully sent all this to the Academy of Sciences.
Either the academicians did not read the submitted works and they were struck by the number of articles, studies, memoirs of Leclerc, or whether these works really had some scientific value (the author was still far from an ordinary person), but one way or another very soon the academicians accepted the twenty-six-year-old Leclerc into their ranks, electing him a corresponding member of the French Academy of Sciences.
Now, let's get serious about something. But what - this is exactly what Leclerc did not know.
The case helped - an acquaintance of the Leclerc family, a former life physician of the king, was in charge of the Royal Garden at that time. Actually, the name did not fully reflect the essence of this garden: there were a wide variety of plants, and it would be more correct to call it the Botanical Garden (later it really turned into the Parisian Botanical Garden). The head, or, as they called it then, the quartermaster, was ill and offered Georges (fortunately, he is a corresponding member of the academy) to take his place. The future count agreed, and soon the appointment took place. This happened in 1739, Leclerc was then in his thirty-second year.
The year Leclerc took office as quartermaster of the Royal Garden, in which, in addition to the botanical garden, there was also a good menagerie, can be considered the year of birth of the naturalist Buffon. Moreover, in addition to the intendant of the garden, he was also the head of the "king's office" - a museum-kunstkamera. Leclerc-Buffon, in addition to a passionate love for knowledge, was naturally endowed with brilliant abilities - an inquisitive and sharp mind, phenomenal memory, colossal efficiency, the ability to compare facts, select them, make generalizations, and besides, he wrote beautifully. All this, combined with the rich factual material that Buffon had at hand, gave excellent results. However, the results became visible far from immediately - ten years passed before the quartermaster of the Royal Garden and Museum Cabinet published his first book. It came out in 1749 and was called "Natural History, General and Private, Together with a Description of the King's Cabinet."
Science in the 18th century had not yet escaped from the web of churchmen, nevertheless it was already making great strides. Buffon could choose any direction in science, especially since there were already such scientists as the Englishman Harvey and the Italian Redi, the Dutchman Swammerdam and the Swiss Gesner ... You could do anatomy or physiology, a microscope or systematics. But no, all this did not interest Buffon. He liked Gesner. Or rather, not what he did, but liked the path that the Swiss walked. And the future count decided to continue and deepen the work begun by Gesner. Especially since a lot has changed in two centuries!
Buffon left a huge literary and scientific heritage - he wrote 44 volumes (about 2 thousand large format pages). 36 volumes were published during his lifetime, the rest after his death. In addition to books on natural science, he wrote a number of works on geology, a science that was then just beginning to emerge, and expressed many very interesting and bold thoughts in them. So, for example, Buffon believed that the earth is a cooled "droplet" of the sun and in its history there are seven periods, each of which, in turn, has many centuries.
He was interested in the problem of the origin of life, and he also paid a lot of attention to this problem, again showing courage and insight sufficient for his time.
Finally, he was interested in the psychology of animals, and here he was at his best.
Undoubtedly, the general situation in France at that time affected Buffon's work. After all, he was a contemporary of such brilliant people as Montesquieu, Voltaire, Rousseau. Their thoughts, their ideas then dominated the minds of the progressive people of Europe, the air of France was electrified - bourgeois revolution 1789, and behind it the formidable days of 1793 were already looming.
Buffon was an apolitical person, revolutionary, however, as well as counter-revolutionary, ideas did not interest him. But the general atmosphere, the progressive ideas that were in the air, could not but be reflected in his work.
Buffon, of course, was an amateur. That is, he did not have special training, did not take a course in the natural sciences at the university. Nevertheless, he was a deeply educated, well-read, thinking person. And the mistakes in his works are not due to illiteracy - with the same success he could make them with special training. True, in the works of Buffon, many errors appeared due to excessive gullibility - Buffon trusted the authorities too much and repeated their mistakes. And if Buffon had been more demanding, he could have avoided them. Yes, there were mistakes. But the point is not in mistakes, but in those correct thoughts and ideas that he expressed, which were ahead of their time and to which scientists of a later time could boldly subscribe.
However, work not in geology and philosophy brought him such fame. Glory Buffon earned books about animals.
He described animals with passion, described beautifully, upbeat. And the public liked it. I liked the truth, not anecdotes and miracles. True, the reading public has changed - after all, it was already the era of materialist philosophers, the era of enlightenment. Already "Physiologist" could not be quoted. And yet, the fact that the public fell in love with true stories about animals is a considerable merit of Buffon.
His books are published one after another - fifteen volumes devoted to mammals, ten - to birds. He could have published more books - he loved to write, knew how, wanted and was ready to do it around the clock. But Buffon understood - now there are other times, other requirements, and it’s no longer possible to simply describe animals, you need to talk about the anatomical structure. And Buffon did not like anatomizing terribly. Well, it is not necessary to do it yourself - perhaps the work will go even more successfully if there is a reliable assistant. Buffon had such an assistant - he dissected animals, described their structure, while Buffon collected and summarized facts.
In the description of animals, Buffon did not adhere to any system, and if he did, it was very conditional: he described separately domestic and wild animals and distributed them by country. However, such a lack of system did not bother Buffon's readers - they enthusiastically greeted each of his new book. These books were instantly sold out not only by naturalists and nature lovers. Books were reprinted, translated into many languages, and with each new volume, Buffon's fame grew.
True, this does not mean at all that the life of Buffon the naturalist was completely cloudless. So, for example, Linnaeus, or rather the Linnaean system, brought him a lot of grief.
Being an artistic nature, Buffon could not stand any schemes, especially if they try to squeeze into these schemes wildlife. Buffon believed that nature was humiliated by this. Therefore, he did not recognize classifications. And since he, without false modesty, considered himself the first naturalist in the world, he was convinced that no one could dispute his opinion. There is no classification and there should not be. And suddenly it turns out that there is a classification - some Swede Linnaeus came up with it. This Buffon could not stand and rushed into battle. However, he was unable to fight Linnaeus - the Swede was already recognized by all scientists, his system was entering into life.
Linnaeus did not consider it necessary to enter into a scientific dispute with his French colleague. But he did not ignore his attacks: giving the name to some very poisonous plant, he called it buffonia.
But if the dispute with Linnaeus, the lost dispute, only hurt Buffon's pride, then the dispute with the churchmen could cost him much more.
However, there was no dispute - there was a scandal caused by the appearance of the books "The History of the Earth" and "The Age of Nature".
After reading these books, the theological faculty of the Sorbonne was furious: who dared to say that the earth is a particle of the sun? Does not the scripture say: God created her out of nothing? And what are these seven periods of the earth, which last for millennia? Is it not known that God created the earth in six days?
And many other reasons for the indignation of theologians gave Buffon with his books. The case could end badly - theologians did not forgive such a thing! But on the other hand, one of the most popular people in France, a person respected abroad, valued at court, cannot be imprisoned!
The churchmen found a way out - they declared Buffon's books senile delirium. Well, Buffon did not mind: since it is more convenient for them, so be it.
He did not argue with his colleagues, who did not recognize his books because they were written too popular, bright, light, and not dry, as it should be. scientific works, language. Why argue, waste time on this, when there is still so much to tell people?!
And Buffon worked, worked tirelessly, overcoming fatigue, worked almost until last day life. And Buffon lived a long life - he died in the 81st year.
Buffon did a lot as a scientist. But he did much more as a popularizer of science. And he deserved a monument during his lifetime precisely as a popularizer. Some scientists - Buffon's contemporaries and later ones too - were contemptuous of such activities, they believed that a scientist should serve "pure science". Buffon thought otherwise: than more people will know about animals, the richer they will be spiritually, the brighter and more colorful they will see the world. However, not only this - animals and people are inseparable. And a person must know those whom he cannot do without, who have served him for thousands of years. Know how to better handle them, to more successfully protect and protect them.
Such was “Pliny of the 18th century”, as Buffon was called, a scientist, popularizer, humanist.