Buffon (1707 - 1788)
Came across the name reading Modiano: Buffon. Didn't know the name. He was a character's favorite author. Found bits of his bio/work very interesting. * Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon ( French pronunciation: [ʒɔʁʒ lwi ləklɛʁ kɔ̃t də byfɔ̃] ; 7 September 1707 – 16 April 1788) was a French naturalist , mathematician , cosmologist , and encyclopedic author. His works influenced the next two generations of naturalists , including Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and Georges Cuvier . Buffon published thirty-six quarto volumes of his Histoire naturelle during his lifetime; with additional volumes based on his notes and further research being published in the two decades following his death. [ 1 ] It has been said that "Truly, Buffon was the father of all thought in natural history in the second half of the 18th century". [ 2 ] Buffon held the position of intendant (director) at the Jardin du Roi, now called the Jardin des Plantes ; it is the French equivalent...