Antique & Collectible Books

Salzburg: Obere' schen Buchdruckerei, 1851. . {The Hinterhuber brothers were Austrian botanists and pharmacists.. Full-Leather. Very Good.

Halae Saxonum: C.A. Kummel, 1806. [1806 - 1807]. 12mo, [measures 170mm x 105mm], pp xvi, 420; 58, with 12 engraved plates, some age-toning and foxing throughout, but otherwise very tight and sound, bound in a twentieth century full calf, marbled endpapers. RARE. [ With the bookplate of Kenneth Lazenby, a founding member of The Apine Garden Society.]. First Edition. Full-Leather. Good.

London: G. Kearsley, at Johnson's Head in Fleet Street, 1789. Fourth edition. 12mo, (measires 168mm x 105mm), pp xii, 5 - 164, uncut and unopened, hinge at pages 32/33 cracked but sound, otherwise extremely clean internally, original grey paper covers, slightly marked and soiled. An outstanding copy - unpressed and in its original state - of a very scarce book. As this was a book designed solely for almost daily use by working gardeners, a copy in this condition is a remarkable survival. [Blanche Henrey 1489. "Weston appears to have had an excellent knowledge of nursery gardening and nurseryman's sales catalogues. The book was originally written as the result of Weston being requested by a seedsman of London to write a few short directions for the proper time of sowing seeds, which could be given to customers".]. Paperback. Very Good.

Edinburgh, London & Dublin: W.H.Lizars; S. Highley & W. Curry, 1845. Illustrated with two plain and four hand-coloured lithograph plates, an extra lithographed vignette title page, 12mo, (measures 164 x 105 mm), pp 82, all edges gilt, very clean internally, red blind-stamped cloth with gilt circular motif on the upper cover, slightly rubbed, with very slight wear to the spine head and the top of the upper joint. RARE. From the library of the alpine nurseryman Will Ingwersen, with his bookplate on the front endpaper. [The first book in English to deal with alpine gardening. Twenty-five years later it attracted the sarcasm of William Robinson. This is the true first edition of 1845. There was a re-issue around fifteen years later - this is distinguishable only in the shape and design of the gilt wreath on the upper cover. An extensive article by Charles Nelson on the book and its author can be found in Huntia Volume 13 number 2.]. First Edition. Cloth. Very Good.

London: Sampston Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, 1878. First edition. Two volumes, small thick octavo, pp xvi, 312; viii, 371, a duplicate from a reference library, with labels on the endpapers, a stamp and neat manuscript numbers on each title page, and the occasional small oval stamp on internal pages, remains of a shelf label on each spine, original brown cloth slightly marked and worn, slightly dusty internally but overall in very good condition. A good sound set.. First Edition. Cloth. Very Good.

London: Longman, Brown, Green and Longman, 1850. Small slim octavo, pp iv, 64, (4), errata slip tipped in at page 9, five pages have minor early neat annotations or a line in the margins, corners a little bruised, otherwise clean and sound internally, soft green cloth, gilt decoration on the upper cover, slightly worn, a little faded. From the collection of the nurseryman Will Ingwersen, with his bookplate on the front cover. RARE. [The land at Chelsea was purchased around 1808, though most of the plants were cultivated at Battersea and further out, the Kings Road site quickly becoming an impressive showroom. It was eventually sold in 1855 to another major horticultural figure - James Veitch.]. First Edition. Cloth. Good.

Fountain Well, High Street, Edinburgh: Oliver & Co, 1802. [The title continues "Likewise a new method of improving moss etc, together with valuable receipts for destroying vermin on bushes, hedges, trees etc."]. Small octavo, pp xxvii,(ii), 228, a folding chart at the rear a little stained), light age-toning and foxing, with 7 woodcut chapter heads and tail-pieces, the hinge at the title page cracking slightly but still perfectly sound, bound in later green cloth. RARE. [From the library of the nurseryman Will Ingwersen, with his bookplate on the front endpaper.]. {The folding chart lists the number of plants which can be grown in an acre, either Scots or English. The title page states that Hall was late gardener and nurseryman to the Hon. Family of Cromarty. The letters V.D.M.E.D. appear after his name. Apart from that bleak information, I can find nothing further on the author. The intriguing thing is that over half the book is devoted to catalogues of florists' flowers, which… Read More

at the Spread Eagle, in Westminster-Hall: M. Gillyflower, 1699. Second edition, corrected. Illustrated with a frontispiece and nine engraved plates (of which eight are folding), [Apparently lacking one plate], small octavo, pp [iv], xxxv, (i), 43,[iii], (4), 35-309, (vii), much of the text rather browned and age-toned, a fair few signs of use, though all very tight, the first fifty pages or so have a fair anount of pencil notes and underlinings (see illustration), with a little more on pages 179-199, contemporary calf, rubbed and cracked but sound,rebacked with a fairly recent calf spine, raised bands, new endpapers, (apparently by Bayntuns). The folding plates are rather worn and creased, occasionally frayed at the margins; two have old sellotape repairs, and one is rather badly torn across but without loss. The pagination is erratic, and appears incorrect, but it actuall ties in exactly with the contents pages at the rear. In this copy "An advertisement of J. Evelyn, Esq.", as mentioned… Read More

London: Longman, Brown & Co. Ltd, 1926. First edition. Illustrated with line drawings in the text, octavo, pp xx, 224, slight age-toning, otherwise clean and sound internally, original buckram very slightly worn, the spine faded. From the library of the Kew botanist Jan Gillett, with his private library number on the spine and on the front endpaper. [Gillett was a notable authority on tropical African botany.]. First Edition. Buckram. Good.

Stationer's Court, Ludgate Street: B. & R. Crosby & Co., 1814. Second edition, "considerably enlarged and improved." With an engraved portrait frontispiece, and with 258 engravings of plants drawn by Henderson and engraved by Thomas Bewick, thick octavo, pp xxviii, 902, [13], {lacking one leaf of the index and with several leaves neatly repaired}, a small adhesion spot to the frontispiece and the title page has led to slight loss of surface to both, generally clean and tight throughout, twentieth century full calf, lined to the margins, decorated spine, slight scuff damage to the uppoer cover otherwise just generally very slightly rubbed. [Before the new binding, the book had obviously been dropped on its upper corner and all pages are bruised and creased - see illustration. ]. Second edition. Full-Leather. Good. Illus. by Thomas Bewick. Henderson. .

Bonn: Scienta Bonnensis, 2010. Very well illustrated with well over 1,000 colour photographs, thick octavo, pp 861, very clean internally, pictorial boards, very slightly bruised, the spine faded, otherwise a very good copy. Text in E nglish and Dari throughout. VERY SCARCE. . First Edition. Boards. Very Good.

London: The Hand & Flower Press, 1949. Illustrated with twenty delightful etched plates, each one signed in pencil by Betty Shaw-Lawrence, small quarto, pp 90, (2), a decorated title page engraved by Alfred Richard Lane, top edge gilt, the other edges untrimmed, half-morocco and boards, a slight fading to the spine, otherwise a very good copy. Limited edition of 260 copies numbered and signed, printed at the Ditchling Press - this one being number 12. [From the library of the Kew botanist Vicki Matthews. with her bookplate in her married name - Victoria and Brinsley Burbidge. Also with the earlier bookplate of Rae Wilson, designed by J. Younger.]. First Edition. Half-Leather. Very Good. Illus. by Betty Shaw-Lawrence.

Honolulu: Privately published under patronage, 1913. Well illustrated, large thick octavo, pp (6), 518, one internal gathering weak, the hinge at the title page cracked and a little weak, a slight stain following the title page, otherwise clean internally, green cloth slightly worn the spine with several snags and tears. Originally a gift from Dean Eric Faigle to Syracuse University Library, with their bookplate on the front endpaper, a blindstamp on the title page and an ink number on the dedication page. [Rock worked for thirteen years in Hawaii, before his major expeditions to China.]. First Edition. Cloth. Good.

Melbourne: John Ferres, Government Printer, 1864. Illustrated with seven plain lithographed plates, slightly stained, slim octavo, pp (ii), 86, slighty used internally, page 29/30 with a clean horizontal tear and no loss of text, original green soft cloth, a bit marked and worn, slightly frayed at the margins. RARE. [From the library of the nurseryman Will Ingwersen, with his bookplate on the front endpaper.]. First Edition. Cloth. Good.

Geneva: J.J. Paschoud, 1811. Two volumes bound in one, octavo, pp xxii, 361; 326,(i), the hinge at the first title page cracking but still firm and safe, lacking the lower corners of the the three index leaves and the corrigenda (slight loss of text), otherwise extremely clean and tight internally, original pink paper-covered boards, a contemporaru cloth spine which is splitting a little on the upper joint and rather dry. SCARCE. [From the library of C.E. Hubbard, the foremost grass taxonomist of the twentieth century, and with his signature and stamp on the front endpaper. Also with an earlier unidentified signature on the title page.]. First Edition. Quarter leather. Good.