A Manual of Orchidaceous Plants, cultivated under glass in Great Britain

Chelsea, James Veitch & Sons, 1887-94, First edition, first issue. . later (1953) cloth with gilt spine title lettering, the original heavy paper wraps of each of the 10 parts are bound in (one wrap chipped & repaired), the parts are not bound in order, small stain on outer edge of part VII, fine, clean and unmarked. . large 8vo [25 x 16 cm]; 2 volumes, in 10 parts by genera, hundreds of illustrations including 97 full-page plates and folding, 13 colored maps mostly folding showing geographical distributions, indices, with title & half title pages issued later. . In this copy, part X, General Review of the Orchideae is bound first in volume I Originally published in 10 parts, usually bound in 2 volumes, in 1887-1894, it is a milestone and a famous and still useful reference in orchid literature, with descriptions and culture of about 1,700 species and hybrids, together with the history of their discovery and collection, about 1300 pages. Besides the detailed descriptions, the work includes details on the discovery and development of the various species and varieties. Veitch was a leading English nursery, which sent plant hunters to many parts of the world, and introduced numerous new varieties and species. BMNH 2199. Massachusetts Horticultural Library Catalogue 323. Burrage p. 90. Glikbarg (supplement 1982). "Many of the instructions contained in the Manual relative to the care of different orchids are still valuable. Good scientific descriptions in English are given for each species; these descriptions are accompanied by the appropriate references to earlier authorities together with detailed information on habitat, discovery and culture. A substantial amount of interesting detail concerning contemporary and past orchid hunters, collectors and growers is given, much of which would be difficult to find elsewhere. The numerous maps indicating the habitat of various species are valuable and the work is enriched by many well-drawn black and white engraved plates and illustrations in the text.. . . a veritable encyclopedia. . . the 1963 reprint has maps that can be read only with difficulty". [Duveen, Classics of Orchid Literature, American Orchid Society, 1972]. A picture of this book is available on request by email.