The first description of Provençal grapes. First edition, first issue of this handsomely illustrated volume with hand-coloured plates, the first systematic botany of Provence with the first detailed description of Provençal grapes and wine. Reissued later in 1719 with a cancel title adding Paris as a place of publication.

The author of this volume, Pierre Joseph Garidel (1658-1735), was a botanist, physician, and professor of anatomy at the University of Aix-en-Provence, and his introduction discusses medicinal uses of plants and the history of botany in Provence.

First edition; folio (35 x 22.5 cm); hand-coloured frontispiece by Bouisson and 100 plates (with erratic numbering) after Honoré Blanc, occasional light spots and marks to contents, particularly the frontispiece, but overall clean; recently rebound to style in green morocco, spines gilt in compartments, red morocco labels, triple gilt fillets, marbled endpapers, gilt roll to turn-ins, three 19th and early-20th century bookplates, excellent condition; 522pp.

The Hunt Botanical Catalogue 434.