Curtis's Botanical Magazine, Vol. 46 by John Sims - 1819: or Flower-Garden Displayed

Very good copy of Volume XLVI (45) or Third of the New Series of Curtis's Botanical Magazine, 1819.

With 49 (of 80) hand-coloured botanical plates (No. 2023-2103). Seven folding plates. Missing 31 plates.

Copperplate engravings after an unknown artist, a few by John Curtis and Sydenham Edwards, most engraved by Weddell.

Includes many exotic flowers and plants such as rose, chrysanthemum, carnation, orchid, passionflower, gentian, evening primrose, cinnamon tree, wisteria, Hong Kong gordonia, Chinese holly, stapelia, amorphophallus, etc.

John Sims (1749-1831) was an English physician and botanist. Born in Canterbury and educated at the Quaker school in Burford, Oxfordshire, he went on to study medicine at Edinburgh University. He became the first editor of the Botanical Magazine after the death of William Curtis in 1799, and edited the magazine from 1801 to 1826.

Contemporary quarter leather binding dry and flaking, spine with five raised bands, chipped orange and burgundy leather title labels, gilt decoration, marble boards, book block solid. All botanical plates bright and clean with vibrant hand colour, a few with slight spotting, dust at the edges.

With the famous decorative bookplate with skull, rococo cartouche, books and flowers of Kenneth Rae, a director at Cobden Sanderson publishing house, engraved by British artist Rex Whistler on front endpaper.