"Natural history] Marc Elesier BLOCH - Ichtyologie ou histoire naturelle générale et particulière des poissons From the author and François de la Garde, Berlin, 1785 - The first part alone of the original French edition of this marvelous work, one of the most beautiful books ever produced on fishes, with illuminated figures drawn after nature. This first part contains a fine vignette engraved on the title page by Berger after Rosenberg and a total of 37 color plates engraved by Schmidt and Bodenehr. The engravings are enhanced with gold and silver and gummed at the time. Each engraving is captioned in four languages (French, Latin, German and English). Magnificent copy in a strictly period binding in full brown morocco, very fine lace decoration framing the boards with angular fleurs-de-lis, ribbed spine with double title-pieces and decorations on the boards repeated in the caissons, a few minor stains and rubbing, marbled edges, splendid binding. The interior is very fresh, with the paper remaining quite white and free of foxing, with a few reinforcing restorations to the interstices between certain pages. The restoration work is discreet and well done, and concerns only a few leaves. This monumental publication, supported by Frederick II of Prussia, initially comprised 6 parts, then 6 more, the last of which was completed in 1797, 12 years after this one. Fine copies in period bindings are particularly rare, and we can only deplore the absence of the other volumes. In-folio, (10) 206pp (2). Provenance: Stamp of the Golitzin library (Prince Galitzine or Golitsyne according to transcriptions, second largest and noblest princely house in Russia). The stamp is on the verso of the title page, slightly faded but still legible. Other provenance: Maxime Lefebvre Despeaux with Ex-Libris on the flyleaf."