Search Results: Botany from Donald Heald Rare Books

London: [E.G. Henderson & Son, 1859. Zincograph, coloured by hand, printed by C.F. Cheffins & Sons. A beautiful image from one of the greatest 19th-century female botanical artists, originally published in the very rare 'The Illustrated Bouquet' Charlotte Caroline Sowerby was a member of a highly talented family that was involved at the highest levels in many aspects of natural history publishing in the middle of the 19th century. Unfortunately, at present, little is known of her life other than she was the eldest daughter of the respected conchological artist George Brettingham Sowerby, and that The Illustrated Bouquet, from which the present image is taken, contains her best known work Published by Edward and Andrew Henderson between 1857 and 1864, The Illustrated Bouquet was conceived and executed on a much grander scale than any of the other periodicals of the period. The work is very rare: only one complete set is recorded as having sold at auction over the past twenty-five years. With plates… Read More

London: John Boydell, 1781. Mezzotint by Richard Earlom, proof before title. A very rare proof mezzotint after the work of Jan van Huysum: the "last of the great Dutch masters'' (Mitchell), the "Phoenix of Flower Painters." (Weyerman) Proof, before title, the first before the motto was added to the Earl of Orford's coat-of-arms. "It is the fate of some painters to be celebrated in their lifetime only and to be disregarded by later generations...Other painters pass their lives in obscurity only to be acclaimed by a succeeding century. A few, a very few, achieve a fame which is universal in their own day, never falters, and remains unchanged today. Jan van Huysum is among them. To Weyerman...Van Huysum was the 'phoenix of Flower Painters.' To Vertue, writing of six paintings he saw in an English collection in the 1740s, they were 'the most inimitable pictures that were ever seen.' In Van Huysum's lifetime the Kings of Poland and Prussia, the Elector of Saxony, Prince William of Hesse, the Dukes of… Read More

Stuttgart: Druckerei der Herzoglichen Hohen Carls-Schule, 1794. 4to. (11 3/8 x 9 1/8 inches). 4 parts in one volume; 4pp. subscriber's list. Two lists of subscribers, 100 finely hand-coloured engraved plates by Gottlieb Friedrich Abel, many heightened with gum arabic. Three-quarter brown crushed morocco, cloth boards, spine gilt. A superb work on dendrology, illustrated with lovely hand coloured engraved plates. The present work contains 100 detailed engravings of different German trees, along with text which provides a key to each of the plates, while each plate is titled along the bottom margin with their Latin binomial and the common name in German. The plates, engraved by Gottlieb Friedrich Abel (b.1763), are superb life-like representations of leaves, fruit and flowers of forest trees. The accuracy and details of the illustrations means that the plants depicted are not only beautiful but also scientifically accurate, making them an important contribution to the field of botany. Reitter was… Read More

Edinburgh & London, 1863. Hand-coloured lithograph. Sheet size: 21 1/2 x 15 7/8 inches. A very fine plate from Ravenscroft's 'The Pinetum Britannicum. A Descriptive Account of Hardy Coniferous Trees' Ravenscroft's work is the third (in order of publication) of the three great coniferous iconographies of the nineteenth century, following Bedford and Lambert. The very fine plates fall into two categories: botanical studies of details of the needles and fruit of the individual trees, and landscape studies of examples of individual trees in their natural habitat. This plate is an outstanding example of the former group, here drawn by James Black and lithographed by Robert Black. Cf. Nissen BBI 1588; cf. Great Flower Books (1990) p.127; cf. Stafleu & Cowan 8685.

Edinburgh & London, 1873. Hand-coloured lithograph. Sheet size: 21 1/2 x 15 7/8 inches. A very fine plate from Ravenscroft's 'The Pinetum Britannicum. A Descriptive Account of Hardy Coniferous Trees' Ravenscroft's work is the third (in order of publication) of the three great coniferous iconographies of the nineteenth century, following Bedford and Lambert. The very fine plates fall into two categories: botanical studies of details of the needles and fruit of the individual trees, and landscape studies of examples of individual trees in their natural habitat. This plate is an outstanding example of the former group, here drawn and lithographed by James Black. Cf. Nissen BBI 1588; cf. Great Flower Books (1990) p.127; cf. Stafleu & Cowan 8685.

Edinburgh & London, 1873. Hand-coloured lithograph. Sheet size: 21 1/2 x 15 3/4 inches. A very fine plate from Ravenscroft's 'The Pinetum Britannicum. A Descriptive Account of Hardy Coniferous Trees' Ravenscroft's work is the third (in order of publication) of the three great coniferous iconographies of the nineteenth century, following Bedford and Lambert. The very fine plates fall into two categories: botanical studies of details of the needles and fruit of the individual trees, and landscape studies of examples of individual trees in their natural habitat. This plate is an outstanding example of the former group, here drawn by James Black and lithographed by Robert Black. Cf. Nissen BBI 1588; cf. Great Flower Books (1990) p.127; cf. Stafleu & Cowan 8685.

Edinburgh & London, 1866. Hand-coloured lithograph. Sheet size: 21 1/2 x 15 3/4 inches. A very fine plate from Ravenscroft's 'The Pinetum Britannicum. A Descriptive Account of Hardy Coniferous Trees' Ravenscroft's work is the third (in order of publication) of the three great coniferous iconographies of the nineteenth century, following Bedford and Lambert. The very fine plates fall into two categories: botanical studies of details of the needles and fruit of the individual trees, and landscape studies of examples of individual trees in their natural habitat. This plate is an outstanding example of the former group, here drawn by James Black and lithographed by Robert Black. Cf. Nissen BBI 1588; cf. Great Flower Books (1990) p.127; cf. Stafleu & Cowan 8685.

London: Longman, Orme, Rees, Brown and Longmans, 1842. 8vo. (8 1/2 x 5 1/4 inches). xxxii, 411pp. 10pp list of subscribers. (Front hinge reinforced). Publisher's green cloth, covers elaborately blocked in blind Provenance: Wodehouse (signature on title) First edition of an influential work on the encouragement of British domestic timber. The acacia, or locust tree, was introduced to Europe as early as the beginning of the 17th century, among the earliest North American trees sent back from the colonies. The tree, however, was largely used for ornamental purposes. In this work, Withers gives a broad overview on previous descriptions of the tree, extracting from Evelyn, Michaux and others, and gives instructions on its management, arguing that the quality of its wood coupled with its rapid growth will yield profitable returns to the timber market. Oak Spring Sylva 26.

London: Bradbury & Evans, 1856. Colour nature-printed engraving. Very good condition. A beautiful nature-printed plate from Moore's "The Ferns of Great Britain and Ireland". Moore's important work on nature printing was one of the first of the genre printed in England. The beautifully executed plates were produced under the direction of Henry Bradbury, England's first nature printer, and are considered to be among the finest pieces of nature printing ever completed. The plates were produced "... by passing the plant, under pressure, between a plate of soft lead from which an electrotype could be made" (Blunt). As a result, they recorded the smallest details of flowers and the finest venations of leaves. Bradbury, whose father was of the publishing house Bradbury & Evans, studied at the Imperial Printing Office in Vienna. His interest in printing extended to "... the production of bank notes and the security of paper money, on which he discoursed at the Royal Institute" (DNB) and to the history of… Read More

Vienna: Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, 1856. 'Nature printed' in brown ink, with titling and imprint in black, by the Vienna Hof- und Staatsdruckerei. Very good condition apart from some overall light foxing. A beautiful example from "most important work produced by nature printing ever published" (Stafleu). To the modern eye this plate has an almost photographic beauty to it, which, in aesthetic terms, foreshadows the work of the great early-20th century photographers such as Man Ray. However, this achievement is almost certainly incidental as von Ettingshausen's intention was to present a detailed anatomical portrait using the highly exacting method of nature printing. John Lindley writes "Attempts were long since made to obtain Botanical portraits by printing from the plants themselves, flattened and otherwise prepared for the purpose... The process of the Imperial Printing Office [Hof- und Staatsdruckerei] at Vienna, to which the name of Nature-Printing has been happily applied.. is a great… Read More

[Paris]: N. de Poilly, 1680. Broadsheets. 17 engraved plates by and after Monnoyer, second states (of III), each corner mounted into the album. Sheet sizes vary between 20 1/4 x 16 1/4 inches to 21 1/4 x 17 3/4 inches. (Some expert restoration at the sheet edges). Expertly bound to style in half eighteenth century russia over eighteenth century marbled paper covered boards, spine gilt A significant selection from Monnoyer's very rare 17th century series of floral still life engravings. The present plates comprise images from four of Monnoyer's very rare suites: 1) Livres de Plusieurs Varie de Fleurs faicts d'Apres le Naturel: Engraved title with dedication to Le Brun and 8 plates depicting bouquets in vases [complete] 2) Livres de Plusieurs Corbeilles de Fleurs: 3 engraved plates, with the title engraved on the first [complete] 3) Livres de Plusieurs Paniers de Fleurs:4 engraved plates, with the title engraved on the first [complete]. 4) Guirlande de Fleurs: 1 engraved plate (of 2), with the title… Read More

Vienna: Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, 1856. 'Nature printed' in brown ink, with titling and imprint in black, by the Vienna Hof- und Staatsdruckerei. Very good condition apart from some minor foxing. A beautiful example from "most important work produced by nature printing ever published" (Stafleu). To the modern eye this plate has an almost photographic beauty to it, which, in aesthetic terms, foreshadows the work of the great early-20th century photographers such as Man Ray. However, this achievement is almost certainly incidental as von Ettingshausen's intention was to present a detailed anatomical portrait using the highly exacting method of nature printing. John Lindley writes "Attempts were long since made to obtain Botanical portraits by printing from the plants themselves, flattened and otherwise prepared for the purpose... The process of the Imperial Printing Office [Hof- und Staatsdruckerei] at Vienna, to which the name of Nature-Printing has been happily applied.. is a great improvement upon… Read More

Vienna: Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, 1856. 'Nature printed' in brown ink, with titling and imprint in black, by the Vienna Hof- und Staatsdruckerei. Very good condition apart from some minor foxing in the margins and very light soiling in the left side of the image. A beautiful example from "most important work produced by nature printing ever published" (Stafleu). To the modern eye this plate has an almost photographic beauty to it, which, in aesthetic terms, foreshadows the work of the great early-20th century photographers such as Man Ray. However, this achievement is almost certainly incidental as von Ettingshausen's intention was to present a detailed anatomical portrait using the highly exacting method of nature printing. John Lindley writes "Attempts were long since made to obtain Botanical portraits by printing from the plants themselves, flattened and otherwise prepared for the purpose... The process of the Imperial Printing Office [Hof- und Staatsdruckerei] at Vienna, to which the name of… Read More

Vienna: Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, 1856. 'Nature printed' in brown ink, with titling and imprint in black, by the Vienna Hof- und Staatsdruckerei. Very good condition apart from some very minor foxing in the margins. A beautiful example from "most important work produced by nature printing ever published" (Stafleu). To the modern eye this plate has an almost photographic beauty to it, which, in aesthetic terms, foreshadows the work of the great early-20th century photographers such as Man Ray. However, this achievement is almost certainly incidental as von Ettingshausen's intention was to present a detailed anatomical portrait using the highly exacting method of nature printing. John Lindley writes "Attempts were long since made to obtain Botanical portraits by printing from the plants themselves, flattened and otherwise prepared for the purpose... The process of the Imperial Printing Office [Hof- und Staatsdruckerei] at Vienna, to which the name of Nature-Printing has been happily applied.. is a… Read More

Vienna: Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, 1856. 'Nature printed' in brown ink, with titling and imprint in black, by the Vienna Hof- und Staatsdruckerei. A beautiful example from "most important work produced by nature printing ever published" (Stafleu). To the modern eye this plate has an almost photographic beauty to it, which, in aesthetic terms, foreshadows the work of the great early-20th century photographers such as Man Ray. However, this achievement is almost certainly incidental as von Ettingshausen's intention was to present a detailed anatomical portrait using the highly exacting method of nature printing. John Lindley writes "Attempts were long since made to obtain Botanical portraits by printing from the plants themselves, flattened and otherwise prepared for the purpose... The process of the Imperial Printing Office [Hof- und Staatsdruckerei] at Vienna, to which the name of Nature-Printing has been happily applied.. is a great improvement upon the old method, inasmuch as it represents not only… Read More

London, 1798. Hand-coloured and colour-printed aquatint and line engraving by Medland. Sight size: 19 1/2 x 15 1/4 inches. Gold-leaf frame, "Amiran" archival glass, with UV protection and an anti-reflective surface. Framed size: 27 3/4 x 22 3/4 inches. The most strikingly beautiful flower plates ever to be printed in England. "This plate was incorrectly titled by Thornton, as the plant shown is not an aloe but an agave [Agave Americana L.]. Aloes are natives of the Old World, their native home being Africa: agaves, though similar in appearance, are inhabitants of the New World. Neither is found wild in the other's territory. Thornton realized his mistake, or had it pointed out to him, and named a second picture of the same plant published later 'The American Aloe.' Agaves are, however, familiar under another name as they are the well-known 'Century Plants' which are supposed to live a hundred years before flowering, the whole plant dying when the flower-spike decays. In fact, they have been known to… Read More

Vienna: Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, 1856. 'Nature printed' in brown ink, with titling and imprint in black, by the Vienna Hof- und Staatsdruckerei. A beautiful example from "most important work produced by nature printing ever published" (Stafleu). To the modern eye this plate has an almost photographic beauty to it, which, in aesthetic terms, foreshadows the work of the great early-20th century photographers such as Man Ray. However, this achievement is almost certainly incidental as von Ettingshausen's intention was to present a detailed anatomical portrait using the highly exacting method of nature printing. John Lindley writes "Attempts were long since made to obtain Botanical portraits by printing from the plants themselves, flattened and otherwise prepared for the purpose... The process of the Imperial Printing Office [Hof- und Staatsdruckerei] at Vienna, to which the name of Nature-Printing has been happily applied.. is a great improvement upon the old method, inasmuch as it represents not only… Read More

Brussels: C. Muquardt, 1885. Chromolithograph, by P.Depannemaeker. Very good condition apart from a few barely noticeable spots of excess ink in the bottom margin. A fine example of the spectacular botanical work by Berthe Hoola Van Nooten, from 'Fleurs, Fruits et Feuillages Choisis de l'Ile de Java'. Commonly known by many names, including Summer Poinsettia and Joseph's Coat, the Variegated Amaranth is grown for its brilliantly coloured foliage. Still in her early twenties, Berthe Hoola Van Nooten had accompanied her husband to Jakarta (Batavia), capital of Java, where he soon died. She was left with debts to pay and a family to support. With great ingenuity, she managed to get a selection of her paintings chromolithographed and published under the title Fleurs, Fruits et Feuillages Choisis de l'Ile de Java Peints D'Après Nature, the first edition of which appeared in 1863-4. "Van Nooten was clearly more than competent, for the splendid tropical plants... have been depicted with great skill. She… Read More

Philadelphia: Published by A. M'Mahon ... John Young, printer, 1832. 8vo. (8 1/2 x 5 1/4 inches). Half-title. Folding table. (Browning). Contemporary calf, morocco lettering piece (front joint starting, worn). A popular American work on the hot-house and garden. First published in Philadelphia in 1806. Contains a "complete account of all the work necessary to be done in the kitchen-garden, fruit-garden, orchard, vineyard, nursery, pleasure-ground, flower garden, green-house, hot-house and forcing frames." The folding table compares the progress of vegetation in Pennsylvania with that of some of the famous wine countries of Europe. "Bernard M'Mahon (1775-1816), an Irishman, came to America in 1796, and went at once to Philadelphia, where he founded a successful seed and nursery business. He served horticulture best by publishing in 1806, in Philadelphia, his excellent The American Gardener's Calendar. For 50 years the book was the standard authority in America..." (Hedrick). In addition to being an… Read More

Lowville, N.Y.: published and sections prepared by the author, 1898. Volume I-IV only (of 14). (9 x 6 inches). Illustrations. 312 samples of wood, each wafer-thin transverse, radial and tangential sections illustrating 104 species, window-mounted in 104 card mounts. (Occasional natural cracking and warping to a few samples, perforation stamps to titles of text sections and to first leaf of text in each part). Text in original glazed paper wrappers, samples in card mounts unbound as issued, each text volume and accompanying samples within original green cloth cover in matching original cloth slipcase, with metal catch and bosses to covers Mixed edition. A representative sample of a rare and remarkable work on the woods of America. Volumes I-IV cover all the trees of New York and adjacent states. A contemporary reviewer called it "one of the most marvelous and instructive books ever made" (Art Education). This remarkable work was the lifetime achievement of Romeyn B. Hough, who devoted himself to the… Read More