Hooker, “The Rhododendrons of Sikkim-Himalaya,” London, 1849-51Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817-1911) –

Hooker, “The Rhododendrons of Sikkim-Himalaya,” London, 1849-51
Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817-1911) – British botanist and explorer
Edited by William Jackson Hooker (1785-1865) – British botany professor and editor
“The Rhododendrons of Sikkim-Himalaya; Being an Account, Botanical and Geographical, of the Rhododendrons Recently Discovered in the Mountains of Eastern Himalaya, from Drawings and Descriptions Made on the Spot, During a Government Botanical Mission to that Country.” London: Reeve and Co., 1849-51. First edition, first issue.
First issue with circular profile of a man with the words “Nulla Dies” and “Sine Linea”, without colored vignette and “Second Printing” on title page
Featuring 30 color plates
Nissen BBI, 911; Stafleu-Cowan, TL2 2969; “An Oak Spring Flora”, pp. 388-391
Elephant folio (508 x 386); burgundy cloth covered boards with gilt lettering on front board and spine, blind embossed signature in rear pastedown, “Bound By David Stevens”. Housed in custom clamshell box
Very good condition
Estimate: $10,000

This work is based on the sketches that Joseph Dalton Hooker made during his travels to Sikkim (now part of India), Tibet, and Nepal. Hooker’s observations on the geology of the region are now fundamental to contemporary understandings of the area. Hooker’s father, Sir William Jackson Hooker saw the illustrations through to publication with plates by the botanical artist Walter Hood Fitch. A prolific artist in his day, Walter Hood Fitch’s produced much of his most exuberant and colorful works in association with Joseph and William Hooker. This is a particularly important oeuvre for botanists and horticulturalists, bringing together descriptions and plates of rhododendron species and accounts of discoveries.

Joseph Dalton Hooker (British, 1817-1911)

Hooker was the assistant director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew from 1855 to 1865, and later the director from 1865 to 1885. Prior working at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Hooker spent years as a traveling surgeon-botanist on the HMS Erebus Antarctic expedition, 1839-43. After starting his position at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Hooker began to take more regular expeditions to places as far reaching as New Zealand, India, Morocco, and California. These travels were often punctuated by significant scientific publications. Hooker was awarded for his successes by a position as the president of the Royal Society (1872-77) and a knighthood (1877).

Condition

A small repair at the head of the spine near the board. Gilt lettering to the spine has faded somewhat with age and sunning. General scuffing and wear to cover boards. Yellow endpapers appear to have been replaced at the time of the re-backing of the book which expertly re-used the 19th century binding. Faint scattered foxing to the text pages. Illustration plate VIII has one fox mark in the far left corner, not affecting the image. One other illustration plate has very faint scattered foxing not affecting the quality of the image. The plates are overall very bright and clean. In overall very good condition.

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Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817-1911) – British botanist and explorer
Edited by William Jackson Hooker (1785-1865) – British botany professor and editor
“The Rhododendrons of Sikkim-Himalaya; Being an Account, Botanical and Geographical, of the Rhododendrons Recently Discovered in the Mountains of Eastern Himalaya, from Drawings and Descriptions Made on the Spot, During a Government Botanical Mission to that Country.” London: Reeve and Co., 1849-51. First edition, first issue.
First issue with circular profile of a man with the words “Nulla Dies” and “Sine Linea”, without colored vignette and “Second Printing” on title page
Featuring 30 color