Recherches sur les causes des principaux faits physiques et particulièrement sur celles de la combustion, l'élévation de l'eau dans l'état de vapeurs, [...]. Avec une planche.

2 vol., 8vo: xvi-375, 412 pp. (some occ. light foxing, paper repair on verso of table).

Mod. sheep, flat spines with 2 red morocco labels. Very good copy.

One folding table, one engraved plate. DSB: "Lamarck's first work in the field of Chemistry and Mineralogy was "Recherches sur les causes des principaux faits physiques" which was begun in 1776. It was submitted to the Academie des Sciences in 1780 and received an unfavourable report and it was finally published in 1794 after the Academy has been surpressed. When Lamarck died in 1829 he left few followers and generally he was ignored... faint praise was offered for his contribution to biological classification. While he was ignored by his countrymen he did receive some attention in England from the generation before Darwin but it was really Darwin's theory of evolution which ensured Lamarck's fame. The question of the extent of Lamarck's influence on Darwin is still debated. Lamarck made significant contributions in botany, invertebrate zoology and palaeontology and developed one of the first thoroughgoing theories of Evolution". In this light the above work of Lamarck must be seen. Of special interest are his 24 propositions at the end of volume 2.
Ref. DSB VII: 587-593.