在已探知的星球中，唯地球有人类。人类社会和自然界构成了这颗星球的整个世界。人类来源于自然，依赖于自然，不断地探索自然，了解自己从何而来，向何而去？为什么在这万物共生的自然界脱颖而出，成为这个世界的主宰？又怎样与这个世界大家庭和睦相处，适应客观发展？……只有了解过去，才能更好地认识现在；懂得了过去和现在，才能主动地面对未来。历史是最好的教科书，在《地球简史》《人类简史》《时间简史》等纷纷面世的当代，人们不由地把目光又投向260多年前就诞生了的《自然史》，这部洋洋数百万字的旷世巨著，开辟了科学史作的先河，它从行星到地球，从空气到海洋，从动物到人类，……天、地、生、人，无所不包，海、陆、空，面面俱到，是一部记述自然的百科全书。
书中全面论述了地球理论和地球历史，展现了风、火、水、潮、雷、震（地震）、光、热等各种自然现象；对人和生物的论述更是生动形象，丰富多彩。从生命的起源、器官的发育、青春期的特点，到机能的退化，直至死亡，把人类生息繁衍的过程讲得有声有色。对生物，特别是动物的描绘投下了重重笔墨，占据了大量篇幅，天上飞的，地上长的，野生的，驯养的，食肉的，食草的，大到熊、马，小至鼠、兔，畜、禽，鸟、兽，花、草、树、木，样样俱全，活灵活现，既有理性，又有情趣，好像无论哪种野性的动物都可以成为人类的宠物和朋友。法国著名思想家卢梭是这样评价的：“布封以异常平静而又悠然自得的语言歌颂了自然界中所有的重要物品，呈现出造物者的尊严与灵性。他具有那个世纪最美的文笔。”
万物皆有道，自然最奇妙。几乎所有涉及自然的事物都可以从《自然史》汲取营养，得到启示。读这类名著，既能增长知识，丰富阅历，又能赏心悦目，闲情逸致。即使历史已过去了几百年，社会发生了巨变，也未失去这部历史巨著的价值和魅力。这就是一部不朽之作的历史地位。布封在书中提出“物种可变”和“进化”的思想，被生物进化论创始人达尔文称为“以现代科学眼光对待这个问题的第一人”。
哲语说，文如其人。《自然史》的作者布封，全名乔治，路易．勒克莱尔．布封（Georges-Louis Leclerc，Comte de Buffon， 1707-1788），如同他的不朽著作一样，也有一部不寻常的经历。他生于法国，自幼喜好自然科学，特别是数学。1728年法律专业毕业后，又学了两年医学。20岁时就先于牛顿发现了二项式定理；26岁成为法兰西科学院机械部的助理研究员，翻译并出版了英国博物学者海尔斯的著作《植物生理与空气分析》和牛顿的《微积分术》；1739年，32岁的他转为法兰西科学院数学部的副研究员，并被任命为“巴黎皇家植物园及御书房”的总管；1753年成为法兰西科学院院士。他用40年的时间写出了长达36卷的《自然史》，后又由他的学生整理出版了8卷，共44卷。此书一出版，就轰动了欧洲的学术界，各国很快有了译本。1777年，法国政府给布封建了一座铜像，上面写着：“献给和大自然一样伟大的天才。”这是对布封的崇高评价。
《自然史》原著为法文，这里出版的是英国学者James Smith Barr在1797-1807年翻译的英文版10卷册，选取的是原著中最精华的部分。发行这样的英文版高级作品、高级读物，就像外文书籍、外文刊物一样，自然面对的也是高水平的读者和馆藏者，希望他们既可以接近原汁原味地欣赏原著，感受自然的魅力，受到自然科学和文学艺术的熏陶，同时又能自然而然地提高英文素养和写作水平。在广大知识分子外语水平普遍提高的今天，这样的科学传播形式也许会受到越来越多读者的青睐。
布封是18世纪法国著名的博物学家和作家。他坚持以唯物主义的思想看待地球与生物的起源和发展，被誉为“和大自然一样伟大的天才”。《自然史》是一部博物志，书中以大量的科学观察为基础，从唯物主义的角度对自然界的各种现象做了详细的描述。书中提到的“物种可变”和“进化”的思想对当时的社会具有积极的启蒙作用，也对后来达尔文提出“物种起源”与“进化论”产生了深远影响。
《自然史》原著为法文，共44卷。本版为英国学者James Smith Barr在1797-1807年翻译出版的10卷册，是原著中*精华的部分，主要包括地球的理论、动物史、人类史、家畜驯养史，并简单介绍了矿物和植物等内容。《Natural History（10 自然史 第10卷）》可供生物学、生态学、地质学等专业的高校师生和相关科研人员以及博物爱好者阅读。
Of the Degeneration of Animals
Nature and Properties of Minerals， Vegetables， &c．
Light， Heat， and Fire
Of Air， Water， and Earth
Experiments on the Progress of Heat in Mineral Substances
A Table of the Relations of different Mineral Substances
Observations on the Nature of Platina
Experiments on Light， and on the Heat it can produce
Invention of Mirrors to burn at great distances
Observations and Experiments on Trees and other Vegetables
On the Temperature of the Planets
General Views of Nature
First View
Second View
《Natural History（10 自然史 第10卷）》：
Having shewn that impulsion depends on attraction； that the expansive force， like the attractive， becomes negative； that light， heat， and fire， are only modes of the common existing matter； in one word， that there exists but one sole force， and one sole matter， ever ready to attract or repel， according to circumstances； let us see how， with this single spring， and this single subject，Nature can vary her works， ad infinitum. In a general point of view， light， heat，and fire， only make one object， but in a particular point of view they are three distinct objects， which， although resembling in a great number of properties，differ nevertheless in a few others， sufficiently essential for us to consider them as three distinct things.
Light， and elementary fire， compose， it is said， only one and the same thing.This may be， but as we have not yet a clear idea of elementary fire we shall desist from pronouncing on this first point. Light and fire， such as we are acquainted with， are two distinct substances， differently composed. Fire is， in fact， very often luminous， but it sometimes also exists without any appearance of light. Fire， whether luminous or obscure， never exists without a great heat， whereas light often burns with a noise without the least sensible heat. Light appears to be the work of nature while fire is only the produce of the industry of man. Light subsists of itself， and is found diffused in the immense space of the whole universe. Fire cannot subsist without food， and is only found in some parts of this space where man preserves it， and in some parts of the profundity of the earth， where it is also supported by suitable food. Light when condensed and united by the art of man， may produce fire， but it is only as much as it lets fall on combustible matters. Light is therefore no more， and in this single instance， only the principle of fire and not the fire itself： even this principle is not immediate， for it supposes the intermediate one of heat， and which appears to appertain more than light to the essence of fire. Now heat exists as often without light as light exists without heat： these two principles might， therefore， appear not to bind them necessarily together； their effects are not contemporary， since in certain circumstances we feel heat long before light appears， and in others we see light long before we feel any heat. Hence is not heat a mode of being， a modification of matter， which， in fact， differs less than all the rest from that of light， but which can be considered apart， and still more easily conceived? It is， nevertheless， certain， that much fewer discoveries have been made on the nature of heat than on that of light； whether man better catches what he sees than what he feels； whether light， presenting itself generally as a distinct and different substance from all the rest， has appeared worthy of a particular consideration； whereas heat， the effect of which is the most obscure， and presents itself as a less detached and less simple object， has not been regarded as a distinct substance but as an attribute of light and fire.
The first thing worthy of remark， is， that the seat of heat is quite different from that of light： the latter occupies and runs through the void space of the universe； heat， on the contrary， is diffused through all solid matter. The globe of the earth， and the whole matter of which it is composed， have a considerable degree of heat. Water has its degree of heat which it does not lose but by losing its fluidity. The air has also heat， which we call its temperature， and which varies much， but is never entirely lost， since its springs subsist even in the greatest cold. Fire has also its different degrees of heat， which appear to depend less on its own nature， than on that of the aliments which feed it. Thus all known matter possesses warmth； and， hence， heat is a much more general affection than that of light.
Heat penetrates every body without exception which is exposed to it， while light passes through transparent bodies only， and is stopped and in part repelled， by every opaque one. Heat， therefore acts in a much more general and palpable manner than light， and although the molecules of heat are excessively minute， since they penetrate the most compact bodies， it seems， however， demonstrable， that they are much more gross than those of light； for we make heat with light， by collecting it in a great quantity. Besides， heat acting on the sense of feeling， it is nececssary that its action be proportionate to the grossness of this sense， the same as the delicacy of the organs of sight appears to be to the extreme fineness of the parts of light； these parts move with the greatest velocity， and act in the instant at immense distances， whereas those of heat have but a slow progressive motion， and only extend to small intervals from the bodies whence they emanate.
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