Pass, Crispin van de

5 parts bound in one volume, oblong folio (174 x 280mm.), allegorical title, biblical quotation, allegorical plate, all engraved, 4 engraved plates of gardens, 172 engraved botanical plates, first 4 leaves with areas of browning, last plate of part one laid down at an early stage obscuring (?cancelled) text, part 1 plate 30 with printer's crease at foot, part 2 plates 9 and 10 with repaired hole in image and with minor pen and ink reinstatement

Cleveland Herbal 160; Hunt 199; Nissen BBI 1494; An Oak Spring Flora12; Pritzel 6972

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

"Blunt calls this the most celebrated and influential of the early florilegia, and one of the finest" (Hunt), and An Oak Spring Flora considers it "the most popular florilegium ever published". The work was issued in a number of states between 1614 and 1617, and "it is almost impossible to find any two that are identical" (Oak Spring).