Amsterdam, F. Houttuyn, 1761-1785. Three sections in 37 volumes. 8vo (21.2 x 13.3 cm) [22.1 x 13.6 cm]. Nearly twenty thousand pages; 296 finely engraved plates. Contemporary uniform mottled quarter calf over speckled boards. Spines with five raised bands and black morocco labels with gilt title. Edges speckled red.

A complete set of the main Dutch natural history encyclopaedia of the 18th century, compiled by the Dutch medical doctor and naturalist Martinus Houttuyn (1720-1798) and often referred to as the "Linnaeus Houttuyn" edition. The three sections are divided as follows: Section I: Zoology in 18 volumes with 143 plates; Section II: Botany in 14 volumes with 105 plates, illustrating 275 species of plants and "including well over 100 new species of plants"; Section III: Minerals in 5 volumes with 48 plates. The taxonomic part of the book is extremely detailed and contains a wealth of incidental information not brought together in this form elsewhere, not even by Linnaeus himself. Bindings somewhat rubbed, several spine tops frayed; a few sections slightly toned, otherwise a fine and complete set, with – apart from a spot in the gutter of Section II, Plate II - neither spotting nor markings. An attractive set regarding both the bindings and contents. Nissen ZBI, 2011; Soulsby, 73; Stafleu, Linnaeus and the Linnaeans; Stafleu and Cowan, 3080; Vanzolini, pp. 1-2.