John Edwards | The British Herbal, 1770, attractive hand-coloured botanical engravings

John Edwards

The British Herbal: Containing one hundred plates of the most beautiful and scarce flowers and useful medicinal plants which blow in the open air of Great Britain. London: Printed for the author and sold by J. Edmondson and J. Walter, 1770

FIRST EDITION, second issue, folio (457 x 275mm.), 100 hand-coloured engraved plates, index leaf at end, contemporary mottled calf, occasional browning and offsetting, binding rebacked to style

ONE OF THE MOST HIGHLY ARTISTIC FLOWER BOOKS OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.

It is likely that the illustrations were coloured by Edwards himself, as he not only made the drawings, but also etched and engraved the majority of the plates. Born in 1742, Edwards was both a book-illustrator and an artist for the calico-printing industry. He specialized in flower studies, and his works were exhibited at the Society of Artists and the Royal Academy.

Described by Henrey as “an outstanding folio volume”, Edwards’ work is not really a herbal at all “as a number of the species figured have no medical interest, and without doubt the plants were chosen for their decorative value” (Henrey, 2:17–18). There are various issues of the first edition as the work was originally issued in monthly parts. The present example is with the second issue title, as usual. A second edition, retitled A Select Collection of 100 Plates was published in 1775.

PROVENANCE: the Earls Cowper, Panshanger, engraved armorial bookplate; Brocket Hall Library, engraved armorial bookplate

LITERATURE: Dunthorne 104; Great Flower Books, p.56; Henrey 3:675; Nissen BBI 578