ROCCA (abbé Della).Traité complet sur les abeilles, avec Une - Lot 44

ROCCA (abbé Della).Traité complet sur les abeilles, avec Une Méthode nouvelle de les gouverner, telle qu'elle se pratique à Syra, île de l'Archipel; Précédé d'un Précis historique et économique de cette île. Paris : Bleuet père, imprimerie de Monsieur, 1790 [Tomes 1 et 2] ; Paris : Bleuet père, Régent et Bernard, 1790 [tome 3]. - 3 volumes in-8, 195 x 122: xxxij, 464 pp. misquoted 462, (2 ff.), 1 plate; viij, 498 pp. misquoted 500, (2 ff.), 3 plates; xij, 532 pp. 1 plate. Rooted calf, gilt roulette around the edges, smooth spine decorated with rich vermiculated foliage, yellow edges (period binding).Oberlé, Les Fastes de Bacchus et de Comus, 659 ("rare and much sought-after"). First edition of this interesting treatise on bees, written by Abbé Della Rocca, a Constantinople native and bee specialist from Syra in the Cyclades. The author considered that most existing treatises simply repeated the same errors and prejudices. He defended the idea that the agricultural practices of the Greek islands, inherited from Antiquity and preserved despite successive conquests, harbored knowledge that was still relevant to Europe, and in particular to France, where beekeeping was, in his view, neglected. After a lengthy on-site study, based on observation and the advice of Syra's elders, he travelled to Italy and then France, where he studied the writings of Réaumur, Bonnet, Buffon and others. Convinced of the superiority of the Syrian method, he decided to write this comprehensive treatise, encouraged by the French experts he met. The work is both practical and encyclopedic. It begins with a presentation of the island of Syra and the Archipelago, including historical, political and linguistic details, as well as local agricultural practices (such as the caprification of fig trees, which he mastered better than Linnaeus). He then offers a treatise in seven books, divided into three volumes, covering all aspects of beekeeping: general culture, hive types, bee species, swarming, interior work, enemies, diseases, and methods of harvesting honey and wax. He also incorporates recent discoveries (such as those made by Schirach in Germany), which he only became aware of while writing. The edition is illustrated with 5 folding plates, the first of which shows a superb animated view of the island of Syra, drawn and engraved by Godefroy of the Imperial Academy of Vienna. A very fine copy in contemporary binding, perfectly preserved despite some foxing. Old private library label on upper spine.