The Fairfield Orchids. A Descriptive Catalogue of the Species and Varieties Grown By James Brooke & Co., Fairfield Nurseries...Manchester. With Chapters Upon the History, Etc., Of These Plants, and An Appendix Containing the Significations of the Names.

London: Bradbury, Evans, & Co., 1872. 128 pp. 23 x 15 cm. Green cloth covered boards with gilt titling to cover. Rubbing to boards with some bumping to corners. Some wear to head and tail of spine. Foxing scattered throughout. Binding firm. The Victorian Era in England is without a doubt, the epicenter of the obsession with collecting orchids, or orchidmania. These exotic flowers were a symbol of status and wealth, with individuals spending a king's ransom to send orchid hunters around the world to find new and even more beautiful flowers. Until B.S. Williams published 'The Orchid Grower's Manual' in 1851, many who were fortunate enough to obtain orchids were simply clueless on how to take care of the plants, and so his manual became a standard reference for collectors. This early trade catalogue of the orchids grown at the Fairfield Nurseries of Manchester is similar in its usefulness, as it operates as an all-in-one manual for wealthy collectors. The book offers a surprisingly large amount of information about orchids in addition to a listing of the plants that the nursery cultivated, and provides a window into England's decades-long obsession with collecting orchids. . Hard Cover. Very Good.