{"product_id":"baobab-beech-hardcover-journal","title":"Baobab \u0026 Beech Journal — Dictionnaire Pittoresque 1833 French Natural History","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIn the 1830s, a team of French naturalists, engravers, and colourists set out to document the entire natural world. Two of their plates — a colossal baobab rising from the African savanna, and a European beech sheltering a long-eared owl at dusk — appear on the covers of this journal, hand-coloured engravings from one of the most beautiful encyclopaedias of the nineteenth century.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe front cover reproduces the baobab plate from the Dictionnaire pittoresque d'histoire naturelle et des phénomènes de la nature (Paris, 1833–1839), directed by Félix-Édouard Guérin-Méneville, with figures gathered at the base of the massive trunk — a steel engraving coloured by hand with watercolour, combining botanical detail with picturesque landscape. The back cover presents the beech and long-eared owl plate (Hêtre \/ Hibou moyen Duc), engraved by Acarie Baron with botanical details by Adolphe Fries — a forest scene that carries within it the deep etymological connection between the beech tree and the book itself: in German, Buche (beech) and Buch (book) share the same ancient root.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProduct Details\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFormat: Hardcover journal\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePages: 150 lined pages (75 sheets) with perforations for easy removal\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBinding: Casewrap sewn binding — flexible and lay-flat\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDimensions: 5.75 × 8 inches\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWeight: 100 g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCover: Matte laminated full-wrap print\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNote: small production barcode (0.5\" × 0.5\") on back cover\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePerfect For\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLovers of French natural history illustration and 19th-century botanical art\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAdmirers of the baobab — the ancient tree of life of the African savanna\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThose drawn to European forest symbolism, Celtic mythology, and the history of writing\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBirdwatchers, naturalists, and lovers of owls and woodland wildlife\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThoughtful gift for book lovers, travellers, and collectors of rare illustrated encyclopaedias\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone captivated by the idea that the tree and the book share the same name\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRead the story of the baobab, the beech, and the Dictionnaire pittoresque on our blog: \u003c\/em\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/new-old-time\/the-tree-that-became-a-book-baobab-and-beech-in-the-dictionnaire-pittoresque-1833-1839\"\u003eThe Tree That Became a Book\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cem\u003e.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"LeBonJournal","offers":[{"title":"Journal","offer_id":63605866496369,"sku":"70233014712806710678","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/5367\/0769\/files\/Baobab_Beech_Journal_in_French_Naturalist_s_Study.webp?v=1778672889","url":"https:\/\/lebonjournal.com\/products\/baobab-beech-hardcover-journal","provider":"LeBonJournal","version":"1.0","type":"link"}