Joseph Dalton Hooker, “Illustrations of Himalayan Plants,” 1855Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817-1911) –

Joseph Dalton Hooker, “Illustrations of Himalayan Plants,” 1855
Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817-1911) – British botanist and explorer
Edited by William Jackson Hooker (1785-1865) – British botany professor and editor
“Illustrations of Himalayan Plants Chiefly Selected from Drawings Made for the Late J.F. Cathcart Esq. of the Bengal Civil Service.” London: Lovell Reeve, 1855. First edition.
Includes lithographic title with hand-colored border and 24 additional hand-colored lithographic plates by Walter Hood Fitch
Nissen BBI, 910; Stafleu-Cowan, TL2 2973; “Great Flower Books”, p. 101
Folio (503 x 369 mm); cloth covered boards with spine re-backed. Housed in a beautiful custom clamshell box
Very bright condition
Estimate: $15,000

In “Great Flower Books,” Patrick M. Synge writes that “Illustration of Himalayan Plant” probably contains, “the finest plates of Magnolia Campbelli and Meconpsis simplificolia ever made”.

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

The spine has been re-backed, there is considerable scuffing and staining to the boards, with bumped and frayed corners. Light spotting and minor foxing to hand-colored title page. Foxing to front and rear endpapers, and occasional minor foxing and soiling throughout, with illustration plates primarily unaffected. Very minor age toning at the edges of the plates. Minor occasional tears to the tissue guards. The “Meconopsis Simplicifolia” plate has a stain in the far lower left edge, not affecting the image. A 2 cm tear in the far left margin of the “Meconopsis Neaplensis” plate, not affecting the image. A faint concentrated area of foxing in the upper right corner of “Duabanga Sonneratiodes”, not affecting the image. Light foxing over surface of final plate transferred from tissue guard. Color illustrations are still very bright. In overall good condition in very good custom clamshell case.

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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
“Illustrations of Himalayan Plants Chiefly Selected from Drawings Made for the Late J.F. Cathcart Esq. of the Bengal Civil Service.” London: Lovell Reeve, 1855. First edition.
Includes lithographic title with hand-colored border and 24 additional hand-colored lithographic plates by Walter Hood Fitch
Nissen BBI, 910; Stafleu-Cowan, TL2 2973; “Great Flower Books”, p. 101
Folio (503 x 369 mm); cloth covered boards with spine re-backed. Housed in a beautiful custom clamshell box
Very bright condition
Estimate: $15,000

In “Great Flower Books,” Patrick M. Synge writes that “Illustration of Himalayan Plant” probably contains, “the finest plates of Magnolia Campbelli and Meconpsis simplificolia ever made”.

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