(6), viii, 164, (1 errata) pp. 13 engraved plates, a few simple woodcut headpieces in the text. (4to) 28.5x21.5 cm. (11¼x8½") contemporary calf-backed over speckled boards with vellum tips, red morocco spine label, red speckled edges. First Edition.

Drapanaud (1772-1804) distinguished himself in the fields of zoology (principally malacology) and botany. This work was published posthumously, and edited by Cloz, with a complementary volume, by A.L.G. Michard, which was issued in 1831 (not present here). "Besides his observations, he reached certain conclusions in biology and physiology that were remarkably ahead of his time. He introduced in a few words the idea of vital phenomena common to animal and plant life, and attempted to reduce these phenomena to physical and chemical laws. At his death Draparnaud left numerous manuscripts in various stages of completion. Only one was published: Historie naturelle des mollusques terrestres et fluviatiles de la France (1805): the others have been lost."---DSB, IV. pp. 177-178.