The Waratah: Embothrium Speciosissimum by [SMITH] SOWERBY, James - 1793

Nabu Press, 2010-04-02. Paperback. Good.

Hand coloured copper engravings including: "Choetophora endivioefolia"; "Diatoma marinum"; "Diatoma striatulum"; "Diatoma flocculosum"; "Rivularia altra" and "Calothrix distorta"

plate size 6" x 3" -15.2 x 7.6 cm. paper size 9" x 5-1/2" -22.86 x 5.97 cm. Minor losses to one edge where previously bound but decent margins for matting/framing, a couple of light spots to margins generally in very good condition.

James Sowerby was an English Naturalist who published works on Botany, Mineralogy and Paleontology. He achieved widespread success not only as an illustrator but as a recognized scientist, classifying mineral descriptions and identifying botanical species. His illustrations were included in James Edward Smith's "A Specimen of the Botany of New Holland Hand", "Mineral Conchology of Great Britain " and Curtis's "Flora Londinensis". His English Botany was published in 267 monthly parts over a period of over 23 years.


These coloured copper plate engravings are of his lesser known series of… Read More

Greenford: Glaxo Laboratories Ltd Book. Very Good. No Binding. Twenty one (c.24x19cm) coloured prints of botanical illustrations, in a card folder. Each card has original text from the first edition on reverse and an ad for a Glaxo product..

London: C. E. Sowerby, 1836. Hardcover. Very Good. . Volume 3 only. 200 color plates. Decorative brown cloth cover shows minor wear, rubbing and fading. Name of former owner on the front free endpaper. Pages are lightly tanned and foxed.

James Sowerby, ca. 1840. Hardcover. Very Good. . 8vo. ""Sowerby's British Plants"" and ""14"" on the spine in gilt. This set of hand-colored plates is of ferns. 54 (of 55) plates are present. Lacking title page, uncertain edition. 2 handwritten leafs bound in at the beginning of the book listing the contents. Facing each plate is one page of text description. Plates are not consecutively numbered (the first plate is 915, Equisetum hyemale, and the second is 929, Equisetum limosum, for example). Bound in half-leather with marbled boards. Pages are lightly tanned with occasional minor annotation. A few plates have museum stamps on the back of them, but most don't. Bookplate of former owner on the front pastedown.

London: R. Taylor and Co., 1807.. Vol. XXV. Plate nos. 1729-1800. Octavo. 5.5 x 8.875 inches. Ex-library buckram. 72 full page hand colored botanical plates by Sowerby. Library rubber stamp on verso of plates does not show through. Plates are clean and colors fresh. Includes families of: Alyssum, LIchen, Conferva, Opegrapha.

London: R. Taylor and Co., 1808.. Vol. XXVII. Includes Plate nos. 1873-1944. Octavo. 5.5 x 8.875 inches. Ex-lib. buckram. 72 full page hand colored botanical plates by James Sowerby. Library rubber stamp on verso of plates does not show through. Plates are clean and colors fresh. Includes families of: Conferva, Elm, Fucus, Hair-moss, Lichen, Willow. (Pic. Plate No. 1898, "SALIX Viminalis, Common Osier.")

London: J. Davis, 1791. 1st. Hardcover. Very Good/None. 22 (of 24) hand-colored plates proceeded by 22 pages of description. Bound in marbled boards with a linen spine and spine label. Missing plates 13 and 19. The flowering plant illustrations, executed by James Sowerby, are all bright and clean. Original blue-gray wrappers bound-in. First issued in 1792 (despite title page date of 1791, preface is dated May 1792). Previous owner's note (tipped onto front fly leaf and dated 1936) states this copy came from the Czar's Hermitage Library. No way to confirm this as there is no label or Double Eagle stamp. Record # 512380

London: James Sowerby, 1803. First Edition, First Printing. Hardcover. Octavo, unpaginated; VG-; vol. 16 ONLY; full mid-19th century rebinding in green paper; spine paneled, with black label and gilt lettering; date 1803 stamped at tail of spine; mild shelf wear and scuffing; all edges with decorative red speckling; mild age-toning to textblock; light foxing throughout textblock; profusely illustrated in full color; plates slightly offset; pages clean; shelved above US Regional--DC. 1354560. Shelved Dupont Bookstore.

London: James Sowerby, 1805. First Edition, First Printing. Hardcover. Octavo, unpaginated; VG-; vol. 21 ONLY; full mid-19th century rebinding in green paper; spine paneled, with black label and gilt lettering; date 1805 stamped at tail of spine; mild shelf wear and scuffing; all edges with decorative red speckling; mild age-toning to textblock; light foxing throughout textblock; profusely illustrated in full color; plates slightly offset; binder's sticker at back pastedown; pages clean; shelved above US Regional--DC. 1354563. Shelved Dupont Bookstore.