Lot 36
  • 36

Maund, Benjamin, and John Stevens Henslow

Estimate
2,500 - 3,500 USD
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Description

  • The Botanist, Containing Accurately Coloured Figures, of Hardy and Tender Ornamental Plants. London: R. Groombridge, [1836–1842]
  • paper, ink, leather
Additional engraved titles. Illustration: 250 handcolored plates by S. Watts, Nevitt, and Smith after Mrs. Withers, Mrs. E. Bury, Miss Maund, Miss Mintern, and others. 

5 volumes, 4to (8 3/4 x 7 in.; 224 x 178 mm). Binding: Contemporary dark blue morocco, spine gilt in five compartments, labels in the second and fourth, marbled endpapers.  



Engraved titles somewhat foxed, approximately 15 plates lightly toned, 10 lightly foxed (mostly marginal), tissue guards mostly present. Some minor wear to extremities of binding, scattered minor soiling to boards. 

Literature

Great Flower Books, p. 160; Nissen 2224; Plesch sale 516; Stafleu & Cowan TL2 5713 

Condition

Engraved titles somewhat foxed, approximately 15 plates lightly toned, 10 lightly foxed (mostly marginal), tissue guards mostly present. Some minor wear to extremities of binding, scattered minor soiling to boards.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

A fine set of this charming periodical.

"Man, by nature, inherits the love of flowers," Maund wrote in the preface to volume one of the Botanic Garden (13 vols., 1825–1851). He sought to share his lifelong passion by producing an interesting and useful publication affordable to everyone. Following the success the Botanic Garden, Maund became a fellow of the Linnaean Society in 1827, and by the 1830s widespread favorable reviews had earned him a reputation sufficient to enlist several distinguished contributors, including the professors of botany at Cambridge and Edinburgh, and leading artists for his second periodical, The Botanist, a more ambitious work issued monthly with four plates and descriptive letterpress. Again, Maund published additional material, a short yearly supplement, a basic introduction to botany with volume two, and a Dictionary of English and Latin Terms, meant to accompany the large quarto edition but instead published separately in 1850 (DNB).