Lot 125C email save

SMITH, Sir James Edward (1759-1828). Exotic Bota

Sign In to see what this sold for

London: R. Taylor, sold by James Sowerby [and others], 1804-1805-[1808]. 2 volumes, 8vo (235 x 140 mm). 120 hand-colored engraved plates by James Sowerby (19 folding, 1 double-page, plate 103 with pasted-on printed slip correcting caption). Contemporary red straight-grained morocco, covers bordered in gilt and blind, spines in six compartments with raised bands, the bands flanked by fillets in gilt and blind, lettered in gilt in the second and fourth compartments, the others with elaborate overall tooling in blind, gilt turn-ins, g.e. Condition: plates 92 and 93 shaved just affecting the image area, occasional light spotting, browning and offsetting of text onto the facing plate; joints weak, slight discoloration of spines. Provenance: Lynn Abbott Trust. a fine set of the octavo issue of Smith's spectacular selection of exotics including plants from the Americas, the Cape, Australia, India and China. In the introduction, Smith notes that, amongst others, they had access to the collections of plants and drawings of "Mr. Lambert" (New Holland), "Dr. White" (Port Jackson) and "Captain Hardwicke" (India) and Sir Joseph Banks. The set was also issued in quarto. BM(NH) IV, p.1947; cf. Dunthorne 288; Great Flower Books (1990) p.140, Henrey III, 1341; Nissen BBI 1858; Pritzel 8743; Stafleu & Cowan 12244.(2)

View Bloomsbury Auctions next auction.

Similar lots up for auction