[Dr. Arthur BROUGHTON (c.1756 - 1796)] & Carl von Linne , i.e. LINNAEUS. Enchiridion Botanicum:

[Dr. Arthur BROUGHTON (c.1756 -1796)] & Carl von Linne , i.e. LINNAEUS.

Enchiridion Botanicum: complectens characteres genericos et specificos Plantarum per Insulas Britannicas sponte nascentium; ex Linnaeo aliisque desumptos.

London: printed by G. Robinson, and for sale with J.B. Becket of Bristol, 1782. Small 8vo. Pp. [ii], ii, 226, [vii index]. Collation: [*]2 A-O8 P1 Q4.

Condition of contents: very light dampstain to lower half of the title and two following leaves, 1/4in. clean tear to upper blank margin of title [see images], foremargin of P1 with 1/4inch wide strip excised with resultant loss of two of the three page numbers on each page, and between one and three letters of each of the words printed in the margins (see images, modern facsimiles of both pages are included so the extent of the loss can be confirmed), otherwise excellent.

Contemporary limp sheep, speckled edges to book block

Condition of binding: extremities rubbed, an examination of the outer margin of the upper cover suggests that the binding is lacking a flap.

First (?and only) edition of a work that appears to be quite scarce. There is currently one other copy for sale (125 GBP in a later binding), and the last copy at auction seems to have been in 1979.

This pocket-sized work, which was probably bound in a wallet-style binding, was intended as a hand-book and practical aide-memoire for the Linnaean field botanist: an early example of its type.

Broughton studied in Edinburgh and lived and worked in Bristol before moving to Jamaica on a temporary leave of absence for the sake of his health. He stayed, settling permanently in 1784. He died in Jamaica in 1796.

Broughton's best known work was on the plants found in the garden owned by Hinton East ("Hortus Eastensis: or, a catalogue of exotic plants cultivated in the botanic garden ... in the mountains of Liguanea, in the Island of Jamaica." 1792).

Henrey III, 691 (nb see also 521, which is a variant issue with a cancelled title page)

see Crane, M. D. "Arthur Broughton, a late eighteenth century botanist in Bristol and Jamaica" in Archives of Natural History. 10 (2): pp.317–330.

ref: 17.046