2 vols, folio (463 x 284 mm), text engraved throughout, with two titles, two dedication leaves (to Richard Mead and Isaac Rand), one leaf of commendation from the Royal College of Physicians, one leaf of ‘Public Recommendation’, two leaves ‘English index’, two leaves ‘Catalogus plantarum’, 125 leaves of descriptive text and 500 hand-coloured engraved plates; a fine, clean, and bright copy in contemporary diced russia gilt, covers with greek-key border in gilt, Botfield arms in centre, spines in seven compartments with double-helix roll tool. £35,000
First edition (later issue, see below), finely coloured large paper copy, extremely rare in this condition. This work was one of the first botanical publications by a woman, one of the first English botanical books to be issued in parts and one of the first with hand-coloured plates. Elizabeth Blackwell (bap. 1707 - 1778) undertook the publication of her herbal at the suggestion of Sir Hans Sloane in order to ransom her husband from debtors’ prison. She took lodgings near the Chelsea Physic Garden where she drew and engraved the plants growing there. She was assisted in her work by the botanist Philip Miller, head of the garden staff. Blackwell engraved both the text and plates, and also handled the accounting and marketing of the work. The book was a commercial success and she succeeded in rescuing the family from debt and freeing her husband, although to no avail: he was later beheaded for his part in a political assassination plot in Sweden.
The work was originally issued in 125 parts in all, in three formats: uncoloured (one shilling per part), coloured (two shillings per part), and large-paper coloured. The work is bibliographically complex and as Henrey noted ‘there is no uniformity with regard to the number of dedications contained in the various issues, or in the order in which the preliminary leaves are arranged’. Several issues exist, but all comprise the original engraved sheets, both plates and text, the only difference being the presence or absence of some of the dedicatory material and differing dates and publishers on the title pages. John Nourse, who was involved in the publication from the beginning, continued to reissue the original work, but with updated titlepages.
Provenance: Arthur Cuthbert (ca 1734-1788) of Woodcote Hall, Epsom, engraved armourial bookplate; Beriah Botfield (1807-1863) with gilt arms on covers; Marquesses of Bath, Longleat House; Christie’s London, Printed books and manuscripts from Longleat, 13 June 2002, lot 131
Henrey 455; Great flower books p 50; Hunt 510; Lisney 175 and 180; Nissen 168
GBP 35000.00
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