Histoire naturelle des insectes coléoptères. Avec une introduction renfermant l'anatomie et la physiologie des animaux articulés.

Paris, Duménil, 1840. 8vo (21.0 x 12.5 cm). 448 [cxxv; 324] pp.; 45 engraved plates [numbered 1-24; 1-19], of which several with additional fine hand-colouring. Contemporary half calf over marbled boards; spine with elaborate gilt ornaments, gilt title. Marbled endpapers. Edges sprinkled red. = A rare work on beetles by the French naturalist and entomologist, François Louis Nompar de Caumont La Force, comte de Castelnau (1810-1880), preceded by an introduction to the anatomy and morphology of arthropods and more in particular insects by his colleague, Gaspard Auguste Brullé (1809-1873). This is the start of a larger series, Histoire naturelle des animaux articulés, annelides, crustacés, arachnides, myriapodes et insectes, and the first of two books dealing with Coleoptera. On the spine this book is erroneously numbered "Articulés 2 Insectes I". This work is usually found with plain plates, but in this copy several beetle plates are partly coloured, Light shelf wear; some worming in the margin of the first few leaves, and further as a single pin point; a few plates in Brullé's part slightly spotted, and one or two a bit shaved; a few plates a bit toned; most plates, however, very good, clean. Horn-Schenkling, 3265; Nissen ZBI, 838.