“THE MOST WIDELY-USED BOOK ON ENGLISH WILD FLOWERS FOR HALF A CENTURY”: BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED AND BOUND SET OF FLOWERING PLANTS AND FERNS, 1870
PRATT, Anne. The Flowering Plants, Grasses, Sedges, and Ferns of Great Britain, and Their Allies the Club Mosses, Pepperworts, and Horsetails. London: Frederick Warne, circa 1870. Six volumes. Tall octavo, contemporary full green polished calf, raised bands, elaborately gilt-decorated spines, tan morocco spine labels, marbled endpapers and edges.
Early edition, containing 313 beautifully detailed drawings by Anne Pratt, rendered in block-colored plates by William Dickes, many finished by hand. Beautifully bound by Mudie.
First published in 1855 in five volumes, Pratt’s Flowering Plants was “the most widely-used book on English wild flowers for half a century” (Sitwell & Blunt, 127). At the time, her 20 botanical books (of which this set is considered a fair compilation) constituted a major contribution to the advancement of flower study, especially among the general public. All of her books are well composed, with handsome, accurate illustrations. The success of Pratt’s works must be shared with William Dickes & Company, producers of the thousands of blocks required for printing in colors using a process developed by George Baxter, which began with a lithographic key plate that printed the main features of the design, followed by color applied through a succession of wood blocks. “Even today, Pratt’s work continues to intrigue and excite collectors of botanical illustration” (Jack Kramer). Volume VI contains “British Grasses and Sedges” (pp. [1]-136) and “The Ferns of Great Britain” (pp. [137]-300), with lists and indexes. Nissen 1562. Contemporary gift inscription.
Plates and interiors fine. A beautiful collection in elaborate full calf bindings. Fine condition.