La Cépède. HISTOIRE NATURELLE DES POISSONS. Paris: a la librairie stéréotype de P. Didot l'aîné, galeries du Louvre, et Firmin Didot, 1799-1804. 12 (of 14) volumes. First thus. Full speckled leather with gilt-fillet border, gilt-titled morocco labels and gilt-stamped designs on spine, all edges marbled, with marbled endpapers and blue ribbon bookmarks. 24mo; vol. I, 393pp.; vol. II, 372pp.; vol. III, 378pp.; vol. IV, 360pp.; vol. V, 353pp.; vol. VII, 290pp.; vol. VIII, 358pp.; vol. IX, 368pp.; vol. X, 396pp.; vol. XI, 223pp.; vol. XII, 327pp.; vol. XIV, 308pp. Text in French. Each volume with numerous plates with detailed engravings of fish.

Each 5 3/8 x 3 1/2 in.

From a longtime North Carolina collector

Bernard-Germain-Étienne de la Ville sur Illone, comte de la Cépède (France, 1756-1825) was a naturalist who continued George-Louis Leclerc, count de Buffon's Natural History series by publishing books on reptiles, amphibians, fish, and sea mammals after Buffon's death. La Cépède also worked as the natural history professor at the Paris Botanical Garden, with a focus on the study of fish and reptiles.

Boards with expected scuffs and chipping to gilt, with corners rubbed and occasional small edge dent, spines with chipping and wear at head and tail with (3) vols. with slightly larger losses at head, some labels chipped or torn with title label lacking on vol. XII, some joints rubbed with occasional light cracking; interiors lightly toned with scattered foxing, occasional bent corner, offsetting from plates, frayed edge, or small corner chip, and small bookplate on front paste-downs; vol. VII with a large tear at rear free endpaper; a very good and scarce set.