Apr 16, 2026 10:00 EST

Rare Books, Autographs & Maps

 
  Lot 66
 

66

Buffon's works with fine hand-colored plates

BUFFON, GEORGES, Comte de

Œuvres complètes [...] Avec la nomenclature Linnéenne et la classification de Cuvier. Revues sur l’édition in-4° de l’Imprimerie Royale et annotées par M. Flourens. Paris: Garnier Frères, [?1855-1857]. Twelve volumes, half red calf, marbled sides, all edges sprinkled. 10 1/2 x 6 3/4 inches (26.5 x 17.5 cm); various paginations; engraved portrait, frontispiece, 151 handcolored plates and 7 handcolored maps. Binding somewhat worn, head of two spines chipped, internally a clean copy with the plates generally bright and fresh.

Sold for $512
Estimated at $400 - $600

Includes Buyer's Premium


 

BUFFON, GEORGES, Comte de

Œuvres complètes [...] Avec la nomenclature Linnéenne et la classification de Cuvier. Revues sur l’édition in-4° de l’Imprimerie Royale et annotées par M. Flourens. Paris: Garnier Frères, [?1855-1857]. Twelve volumes, half red calf, marbled sides, all edges sprinkled. 10 1/2 x 6 3/4 inches (26.5 x 17.5 cm); various paginations; engraved portrait, frontispiece, 151 handcolored plates and 7 handcolored maps. Binding somewhat worn, head of two spines chipped, internally a clean copy with the plates generally bright and fresh.

Auction: Rare Books, Autographs & Maps, Apr 16, 2026

  • Successful Auction of Rare Books, Autographs & Maps on April 16, 2026 Surpasses Expectations

  • Thomas Jefferson Letter Commenting on Toussaint Louverture Achieves $32,000

  • Consignments Are Currently Being Accepted for Future Auctions

  • We Invite You to Contact Us for Complimentary Auction Estimates of Your Collection


NEW YORK, NY – Doyle's auction of Rare Books, Autographs & Maps on April 16, 2026 saw international competition drive strong results throughout the sale and a total that surpassed expectations.

Thomas Jefferson Letter on Toussaint Louverture
Highlighting the sale was a fascinating 1802 letter from Thomas Jefferson as president to Maryland Governor John Francis Mercer that achieved a strong $32,000. The remarkable letter captures a rare, candid moment in which Jefferson assesses, with striking clarity, the arrest of Toussaint Louverture, a leader of the Haitian Revolution, by French General Charles LeClerc, Napoleon’s brother-in-law. Jefferson perceptively warned that LeClerc’s actions would erode trust and likely spark further racial conflict—an insight that proved remarkably accurate. Beyond its sharp political foresight, the letter reflects the broader anxiety the Haitian Revolution provoked in the United States, which contributed to decades of diplomatic isolation of Haiti.

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