Hortus Veitchii.: A History of the Rise and Progress of the Nurseries of Messrs. James Veitch and Sons, together with an Account of the Botanical Collectors and Hybridists Employed by Them and a List of the Most Remarkable of their Introductions.
by VEITCH, James Herbert
- Used
- Hardcover
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
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London, United Kingdom
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About This Item
London: James Veitch & Sons Limited,, 1906. First and limited edition, one of an unstated number of copies "printed for private circulation only". This is a handsomely illustrated history of the most prominent 19th-century horticultural firm in Britain, with accounts of their most famous botanical collecting explorers and hybridists. It is an essential reference work on plants introduced to Britain during the Victorian era. The Veitch nursery empire was founded about 1800 by John Veitch (1752-1839) and was the first businesses to employ professional plant-hunters. The book "gives a detailed account of the family business and of the men that the firm sent to South America, Japan, China, and India during the period 1840-1906, including distinguished plant finders such as William Lobb, his brother Thomas, who first introduced various types of orchids from India to Britain for cultivation, and Richard Pearce, who brought back tuberous begonias from South America" (introduction to the Cambridge edition). Among the most famous collectors who travelled to China, the book mentions E. H. Wilson (1876-1930), "who coined the phrase 'China-mother of Gardens' and... introduced from four expeditions there between 1899 and 1911 over a thousand plants apparently new to the western world" (Lancaster, foreword). Also mentioned is Augustine Henry (1857-1930), whose "discoveries in the provinces of Hubei and Sichuan, particularly in the vicinity of the famous Yangtze Gorges, were responsible in large part for the renaissance of Chinese plant introductions to British gardens" (ibid.). Folio. Original purple half morocco, spine lettered in gilt, marbled and gilt paper sides and endpapers, top edge gilt, others untrimmed. Housed in the publisher's purple cloth solander box. With photogravure frontispiece and 49 similar plates, all with tissue guards, title page printed in red and black. Occasional spot of foxing to contents, otherwise clean. A near-fine copy in the somewhat rubbed and sunned solander box, with a couple of short splits, but sound. Roy Lancaster, "Foreword", in Sue Shepard, ed., Seeds of Fortune. A Gardening Dynasty, 2012; James Herbert Veitch, Hortus Veitchii, Cambridge Library Collection, 2011.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Peter Harrington (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 166793
- Title
- Hortus Veitchii.
- Author
- VEITCH, James Herbert
- Book Condition
- Used
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Place of Publication
- London: James Veitch & Sons Limited,
- Date Published
- 1906
Terms of Sale
Peter Harrington
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About the Seller
Peter Harrington
Biblio member since 2006
London
About Peter Harrington
Since its establishment, Peter Harrington has specialised in sourcing, selling and buying the finest quality original first editions, signed, rare and antiquarian books, fine bindings and library sets. Peter Harrington first began selling rare books from the Chelsea Antiques Market on London's King's Road. For the past twenty years the business has been run by Pom Harrington, Peter's son.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
- Morocco
- Morocco is a style of leather book binding that is usually made with goatskin, as it is durable and easy to dye. (see also...
- Top Edge Gilt
- Top edge gilt refers to the practice of applying gold or a gold-like finish to the top of the text block (the edges the pages...
- Sunned
- Damage done to a book cover or dust jacket caused by exposure to direct sunlight. Very strong fluorescent light can cause slight...
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Folio
- A folio usually indicates a large book size of 15" in height or larger when used in the context of a book description. Further,...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...