DUHAMEL DU MONCEAU (Henri Louis). La Physique des arbres, in which the anatomy of plants and plant economics are discussed. Paris, veuve Desaint, 1788. 2 volumes in-4, marbled calf, spine decorated, spotted edges (Binding of the period). Second edition, illustrated with 50 folding plates engraved in intaglio. La Physique des arbres is the second of five independent works making up the Traité des bois et forêts by Duhamel du Monceau (1700-1782). The first edition dates from 1758. A seminal work on forest botany, it reviews the state of knowledge in plant physiology, presenting the work of pioneers such as Nehemiah Grew, Edme Mariotte and Marcello Malpighi. The author also studies the conditions for the formation of new layers of wood and describes his experiments, in particular placing tin plates or silver wire between the wood and the bast. Slightly missing upper covers, some foxing. Pritzel, no. 2468 - Nissen, no. 542.