1790 First Edition
THE PHILOSOPHY OF NATURAL HISTORY VOLUME 1
By William Smellie
KEY DETAILS
Condition: Very Good
Format: Leather, 4to; approx. 277 x 216 mm
Published By: Edinburgh: Printed for the Heirs of Charles Elliot; and C. Elliot and T. Kay, T. Cadell, and G. G. J. & J. Robinsons, London, 1790
Language: English
Provenance: An early manuscript notation, apparently reading "No. 20", appears on a preliminary blank leaf.
Collation: [xiii], [3], 547 pp., with preliminary matter and index. Volume I only. Complete.
Dust Jacket: None, as issued
SKU: BTETM0002052
Shipping Info: Approximate Package Dimensions H: 12.5, L: 30, W: 25 (Units: cm), W: 2Kg
Tracked Shipping, Insurance Coverage as per Customer Request
DESCRIPTION
The Philosophy of Natural History Volume 1
A very good copy of the first edition of William Smellie's The Philosophy of Natural History, published in Edinburgh in 1790, retaining its attractive contemporary calf binding.
An important contribution to eighteenth-century natural philosophy, this work was written by William Smellie (1740–1795), the Scottish naturalist, antiquary, master printer and first editor of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. A prominent figure in the Scottish Enlightenment, Smellie sought to reconcile the growing body of scientific knowledge about the natural world with broader philosophical questions concerning life, intelligence, sensation and animal behaviour.
Unlike the descriptive natural histories of many of his contemporaries, Smellie's work examines not simply the classification and physical characteristics of living organisms but the principles governing their existence. Drawing upon contemporary zoological knowledge and the writings of earlier naturalists, he considers the distinctions between plants and animals, the functions of living bodies, reproduction, instinct, intelligence and the apparent capacity of animals for reason.
Particularly noteworthy is Smellie's treatment of animal psychology and comparative intelligence, exploring the relationship between instinct, experience and learned behaviour. His discussions of animal sagacity, docility and social organisation reflect an Enlightenment interest in the continuity and distinctions between human and animal minds.
The work also engages critically with contemporary systems of natural classification, including aspects of Linnaean botany, illustrating the intellectual debates surrounding the interpretation and organisation of the natural world before the emergence of modern evolutionary biology.
Smellie's reputation as a natural historian was considerable. The Edinburgh publisher Charles Elliot reportedly paid the substantial sum of £1,000 for the copyright of the first volume, reflecting the commercial and intellectual expectations surrounding its publication.
Published during Smellie's lifetime, Volume I appeared in 1790 and was the only volume issued before his death in 1795. A second volume, prepared for publication by his son Alexander Smellie, appeared posthumously in 1799.
The present copy comprises the original 1790 Edinburgh first edition of Volume I, complete in its numbered text, bound in contemporary calf and retaining the character of an eighteenth-century scholarly work.
An appealing addition to a collection devoted to the Scottish Enlightenment, the history of science, natural philosophy, early zoology, animal psychology or the intellectual history of the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
PROVENANCE
An early manuscript notation, apparently reading "No. 20", appears on a preliminary blank leaf.
The inscription may represent a former owner's catalogue, collection or shelf reference, although no specific ownership has been established.
No further identifiable provenance has been confirmed.
CONDITION, COLLATION & COPY NOTES
COLLATION
[xiii], [3], 547 pp., with preliminary matter and index. Volume I only. Complete.
Edition and completeness: First Edinburgh edition, 1790. Volume I only. Volume II, first published posthumously in 1799, is not included.
Binding: Contemporary full calf with raised bands, gilt-ruled spine compartments and a red morocco gilt-lettered title label. The leather displays age-related rubbing, scuffing and wear, particularly at the corners, board edges, joints and spine extremities.
Minor external cracking and wear to the joints, but both boards remain firmly attached and the hinges open comfortably without movement or strain, as confirmed by physical inspection. The binding remains structurally sound and attractive.
Internally: Generally clean and bright, with occasional light spotting, minor discolouration and handling marks. Some paper cockling and gentle undulation are present, although these are less pronounced in person than the photographs suggest. The text is clearly printed and legible throughout, with generous margins.
Please see Photos as part of condition report.
REFERENCES
ESTC T106302: The Philosophy of Natural History, Edinburgh, 1790–1799.
Wellcome Collection: The Philosophy of Natural History, William Smellie; bibliographical record for the original two-volume quarto edition.
Biodiversity Heritage Library: The Philosophy of Natural History, 1790–1799, digitised from the Natural History Museum Library, London.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: William Smellie (1740–1795), printer, naturalist and antiquary.
Freeman 3437: Bibliographical reference to Smellie's Philosophy of Natural History.
SYNOPSIS
The Philosophy of Natural History is a wide-ranging examination of living organisms and the principles governing their physical and psychological existence, written at a time when natural history was becoming increasingly systematic and scientific.
Smellie begins by exploring the fundamental distinctions between organised living bodies and the inorganic world, considering the differences between plants and animals and the processes essential to life.
He subsequently examines the physical functions of animals, including respiration, nutrition, reproduction, growth and development, before turning to questions of instinct, perception, intelligence and behaviour.
Of particular interest are his investigations into the apparent reasoning abilities of animals, the influence of experience and education, and the relationship between innate instinct and acquired knowledge. His discussion of animal docility and sagacity anticipates themes that would become central to later comparative psychology.
Throughout, Smellie combines observation, philosophical speculation and critical engagement with contemporary scientific authorities, offering a valuable account of how educated naturalists understood the living world towards the end of the eighteenth century.
The work represents an important stage in the history of natural philosophy, occupying an intellectual position between the descriptive natural histories of the Enlightenment and the more specialised biological sciences of the nineteenth century.
AUTHOR BIO
William Smellie (1740–1795) was a Scottish printer, naturalist, antiquary, editor and intellectual closely associated with the Scottish Enlightenment.
Born in Edinburgh, Smellie entered the printing trade as an apprentice and developed a considerable reputation for his technical expertise, scholarship and wide-ranging scientific interests.
He is best remembered for his central role in producing the first edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica (1768–1771), for which he served as principal compiler and editor. The project established one of the most enduring reference works in the English language.
Beyond his encyclopaedic work, Smellie was an accomplished naturalist and translator. He produced an English translation of Buffon's Histoire naturelle, helping introduce British readers to one of the most influential natural history projects of the eighteenth century.
An active participant in Edinburgh's intellectual community, Smellie was associated with the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and the city's scientific and literary circles. His interests extended across zoology, botany, geology, philosophy, printing and antiquarian scholarship.
His Philosophy of Natural History (1790) brought together many years of scientific reading and reflection. Rather than attempting merely to enumerate species, Smellie sought to explore the physical, behavioural and philosophical principles that united and distinguished living organisms.
He died in Edinburgh in 1795. The second volume of his Philosophy of Natural History was subsequently edited and published by his son Alexander in 1799.
Today, Smellie is recognised as an important contributor to the dissemination of scientific knowledge during the Scottish Enlightenment, both through his own writings and through his pioneering editorial work on the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
1790 First Edition
THE PHILOSOPHY OF NATURAL HISTORY VOLUME 1
By William Smellie
KEY DETAILS
Condition: Very Good
Format: Leather, 4to; approx. 277 x 216 mm
Published By: Edinburgh: Printed for the Heirs of Charles Elliot; and C. Elliot and T. Kay, T. Cadell, and G. G. J. & J. Robinsons, London, 1790
Language: English
Provenance: An early manuscript notation, apparently reading "No. 20", appears on a preliminary blank leaf.
Collation: [xiii], [3], 547 pp., with preliminary matter and index. Volume I only. Complete.
Dust Jacket: None, as issued
SKU: BTETM0002052
Shipping Info: Approximate Package Dimensions H: 12.5, L: 30, W: 25 (Units: cm), W: 2Kg
Tracked Shipping, Insurance Coverage as per Customer Request
DESCRIPTION
The Philosophy of Natural History Volume 1
A very good copy of the first edition of William Smellie's The Philosophy of Natural History, published in Edinburgh in 1790, retaining its attractive contemporary calf binding.
An important contribution to eighteenth-century natural philosophy, this work was written by William Smellie (1740–1795), the Scottish naturalist, antiquary, master printer and first editor of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. A prominent figure in the Scottish Enlightenment, Smellie sought to reconcile the growing body of scientific knowledge about the natural world with broader philosophical questions concerning life, intelligence, sensation and animal behaviour.
Unlike the descriptive natural histories of many of his contemporaries, Smellie's work examines not simply the classification and physical characteristics of living organisms but the principles governing their existence. Drawing upon contemporary zoological knowledge and the writings of earlier naturalists, he considers the distinctions between plants and animals, the functions of living bodies, reproduction, instinct, intelligence and the apparent capacity of animals for reason.
Particularly noteworthy is Smellie's treatment of animal psychology and comparative intelligence, exploring the relationship between instinct, experience and learned behaviour. His discussions of animal sagacity, docility and social organisation reflect an Enlightenment interest in the continuity and distinctions between human and animal minds.
The work also engages critically with contemporary systems of natural classification, including aspects of Linnaean botany, illustrating the intellectual debates surrounding the interpretation and organisation of the natural world before the emergence of modern evolutionary biology.
Smellie's reputation as a natural historian was considerable. The Edinburgh publisher Charles Elliot reportedly paid the substantial sum of £1,000 for the copyright of the first volume, reflecting the commercial and intellectual expectations surrounding its publication.
Published during Smellie's lifetime, Volume I appeared in 1790 and was the only volume issued before his death in 1795. A second volume, prepared for publication by his son Alexander Smellie, appeared posthumously in 1799.
The present copy comprises the original 1790 Edinburgh first edition of Volume I, complete in its numbered text, bound in contemporary calf and retaining the character of an eighteenth-century scholarly work.
An appealing addition to a collection devoted to the Scottish Enlightenment, the history of science, natural philosophy, early zoology, animal psychology or the intellectual history of the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
PROVENANCE
An early manuscript notation, apparently reading "No. 20", appears on a preliminary blank leaf.
The inscription may represent a former owner's catalogue, collection or shelf reference, although no specific ownership has been established.
No further identifiable provenance has been confirmed.
CONDITION, COLLATION & COPY NOTES
COLLATION
[xiii], [3], 547 pp., with preliminary matter and index. Volume I only. Complete.
Edition and completeness: First Edinburgh edition, 1790. Volume I only. Volume II, first published posthumously in 1799, is not included.
Binding: Contemporary full calf with raised bands, gilt-ruled spine compartments and a red morocco gilt-lettered title label. The leather displays age-related rubbing, scuffing and wear, particularly at the corners, board edges, joints and spine extremities.
Minor external cracking and wear to the joints, but both boards remain firmly attached and the hinges open comfortably without movement or strain, as confirmed by physical inspection. The binding remains structurally sound and attractive.
Internally: Generally clean and bright, with occasional light spotting, minor discolouration and handling marks. Some paper cockling and gentle undulation are present, although these are less pronounced in person than the photographs suggest. The text is clearly printed and legible throughout, with generous margins.
Please see Photos as part of condition report.
REFERENCES
ESTC T106302: The Philosophy of Natural History, Edinburgh, 1790–1799.
Wellcome Collection: The Philosophy of Natural History, William Smellie; bibliographical record for the original two-volume quarto edition.
Biodiversity Heritage Library: The Philosophy of Natural History, 1790–1799, digitised from the Natural History Museum Library, London.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: William Smellie (1740–1795), printer, naturalist and antiquary.
Freeman 3437: Bibliographical reference to Smellie's Philosophy of Natural History.
SYNOPSIS
The Philosophy of Natural History is a wide-ranging examination of living organisms and the principles governing their physical and psychological existence, written at a time when natural history was becoming increasingly systematic and scientific.
Smellie begins by exploring the fundamental distinctions between organised living bodies and the inorganic world, considering the differences between plants and animals and the processes essential to life.
He subsequently examines the physical functions of animals, including respiration, nutrition, reproduction, growth and development, before turning to questions of instinct, perception, intelligence and behaviour.
Of particular interest are his investigations into the apparent reasoning abilities of animals, the influence of experience and education, and the relationship between innate instinct and acquired knowledge. His discussion of animal docility and sagacity anticipates themes that would become central to later comparative psychology.
Throughout, Smellie combines observation, philosophical speculation and critical engagement with contemporary scientific authorities, offering a valuable account of how educated naturalists understood the living world towards the end of the eighteenth century.
The work represents an important stage in the history of natural philosophy, occupying an intellectual position between the descriptive natural histories of the Enlightenment and the more specialised biological sciences of the nineteenth century.
AUTHOR BIO
William Smellie (1740–1795) was a Scottish printer, naturalist, antiquary, editor and intellectual closely associated with the Scottish Enlightenment.
Born in Edinburgh, Smellie entered the printing trade as an apprentice and developed a considerable reputation for his technical expertise, scholarship and wide-ranging scientific interests.
He is best remembered for his central role in producing the first edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica (1768–1771), for which he served as principal compiler and editor. The project established one of the most enduring reference works in the English language.
Beyond his encyclopaedic work, Smellie was an accomplished naturalist and translator. He produced an English translation of Buffon's Histoire naturelle, helping introduce British readers to one of the most influential natural history projects of the eighteenth century.
An active participant in Edinburgh's intellectual community, Smellie was associated with the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and the city's scientific and literary circles. His interests extended across zoology, botany, geology, philosophy, printing and antiquarian scholarship.
His Philosophy of Natural History (1790) brought together many years of scientific reading and reflection. Rather than attempting merely to enumerate species, Smellie sought to explore the physical, behavioural and philosophical principles that united and distinguished living organisms.
He died in Edinburgh in 1795. The second volume of his Philosophy of Natural History was subsequently edited and published by his son Alexander in 1799.
Today, Smellie is recognised as an important contributor to the dissemination of scientific knowledge during the Scottish Enlightenment, both through his own writings and through his pioneering editorial work on the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
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