Buffon is best remembered for his Histoire naturelle. "
Written in a brilliant style, this work was read ... by every educated person in Europe".ᵖ³³⁰ It was translated into many different languages, making him one of the most widely read authors of the day, a rival to Montesquieu, Rousseau, and Voltaire.

In the opening volumes of the Histoire naturelle Buffon questioned the usefulness of mathematics, criticized Carl Linnaeus's taxonomical approach to natural history, outlined a history of the Earth with little relation to the Biblical account, and proposed a theory of reproduction which ran counter to existing ideas.

The early volumes were condemned by the Faculty of Theology at the Sorbonne.
Buffon published a retraction, but he continued publishing the offending volumes without any change.

Buffon noted that despite similar environments, different regions of the world have distinct plants and animals.
This observation, later known as Buffon's Law, may be the first principle of biogeography.
Buffon is best remembered for his Histoire naturelle. "Written in a brilliant style, this work was read ... by every educated person in Europe".ᵖ³³⁰ It was translated into many different languages, making him one of the most widely read authors of the day, a rival to Montesquieu, Rousseau, and Voltaire.
In the opening volumes of the Histoire naturelle Buffon questioned the usefulness of mathematics, criticized Carl Linnaeus's taxonomical approach to natural history, outlined a history of the Earth with little relation to the Biblical account, and proposed a theory of reproduction which ran counter to existing ideas.
The early volumes were condemned by the Faculty of Theology at the Sorbonne. Buffon published a retraction, but he continued publishing the offending volumes without any change.
Buffon noted that despite similar environments, different regions of the world have distinct plants and animals. This observation, later known as Buffon's Law, may be the first principle of biogeography.
Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon