The Botanist's Repository. " The Botanist's Repository, for New, and Rare Plants

Illustrated Books: London: Printed by T. Bensley, and published by the author. 1797-1815. 10 vols, 4to. With 9 (of 10) titles, and 654 of 664 plates, colour-printed and finished by hand. Contemporary full crimson straight-grained morocco, apart from the last volume which has been bound in contemporary half morocco. Plates 163-8 in volume 3 misbound between plates 156 & 7. A superb and unusually complete set, clean, bright and in a fine contemporary binding. Andrews himself drew, engraved and hand coloured all the plates. The absence of plates from the final volume is explained by a handwritten note, loosely inserted into the final volume, expressing the frustration of the original owner, who had been collecting the parts of Andrews' work as they were issued for the best part of twenty years and finally ran out of patience: "This volume wants a number - with the index - of which Mr Andrews had long promised to give - to compleat the 10th vol. - which finishes the work -but after 2 or 3 years bound them up with some others of his works - Roses & Geraniums. January 1815 - Begun 1797". Andrews' monumental work is an early example of colour printing and the first printed representation of many exotic species. It was issued (notionally at least) in 137 monthly parts. Most of the descriptions in vols. 1-5 are by John Kennedy; those in vol. 6 are by Adrian Hardy. Haworth (ESTC).: Dunthorne 8, Nissen 2382. Illustrated Books Natural History Botany Flowers