Horticultural Society of London | Transactions of the Horticultural Society of London, 1820-1848, 10 volumes

HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF LONDON

Transactions of the Horticultural Society of London. London: W. Bulmer (later W. Nicol), 1820-1818-1822- 824-1826-1830 [1st series, vols. 1-7]; London: W. Nicol for the Society, 1835-1842-1848 [2nd series, vols. 1-3]

10 volumes, 4to (278 x 213mm. [1st series] & 301 x 232mm. [2nd series]), 7 engraved titles, 3 folding letterpress synoptic tables of peaches, 174 engraved plates (92 hand-coloured, 10 folding), numerous text illustrations, including one hand-coloured diagram, near-contemporary tree calf, covers with gilt roll-tool border, spines gilt in five compartments with unidentified family crest and olive morocco labels, marbled endpapers, marbled edges (1st series) and nineteenth-century half calf, marbled boards, spines gilt in six compartments, plain endpapers and edges (2nd series), some plates first series shaved, first folding plate rather soiled and wrinkled, occasional spotting, volume 7 neatly rebacked preserving original spine, joints of volume 1 cracked, extremities of a few other volumes rubbed, sold as a periodical not subject to return

A BRIGHT AND IMPORTANT JOURNAL OF POMOLOGY AND BOTANY. This is a complete set showing the immense skill of some of the greatest botanical artists working in Britain in the first half of the nineteenth century. The illustrations are finely executed with luminous colours, mostly by William Hooker. Hooker served as botanical artist to the Horticultural Society from 1812 until he retired in 1820. The Transactions includes a good selection of plates taken from his fruit paintings, which, in the view of Wilfred Blunt, "reveal him as one of the greatest pomological artists of all time." This is a mixed set with volumes 1 and 2 being third editions, volume 3 is a second edition and the remaining seven volumes are all first editions.

LITERATURE:

Blunt, p.230; Bunyard 436; Dunthorne 142; Great Flower Books, p. 160; Nissen BBI 2387; Pritzel 10860

PROVENANCE:

William Willoughby Cole, 3rd Earl of Enniskillen, armorial bookplate in second series