Author: Sowerby, James (1757-1822) ; Charles Johnson (1791-1880); Sir James Edward Smith
Title: English Botany; or, Coloured Figures of British Plants, with Their Essential Characters, Synonyms, and Places of Growth [... ]. The Second Edition, Arranged According to the Linnaean Method, with the Descriptions Shortened, and Occasional Remarks Added [- by Charles Johnson]. (Complete with 2,728 Color Plates)
Description: London,: by R. Taylor for the proprietor, C.E. Sowerby, [1832]-1846. 12 vol. 8vo. 15 x 23 cm. Text and plates in contemporary three-quarter dark brown calf, marbled paper covers, gilt ruled spines with raised bands; repaired by the artisan binder Sasha Mosalov.. Text, 12 parts in 4 vol. (some foxing). - Plates (in boxes), 8 vol.: 2,728 plates. (foxing; scientific manuscript annotations in pencil in French).. Second edition (1st: 1790-1814) of one of the most celebrated British floras. Illustrated with more than 2,700 coloured plates (5 fold.), most of which are drawn and engraved by James Sowerby (1757-1822), English naturalist, artist, engraver and teacher. The formal descriptions of Sowerby in the volumes of text are mostly supplied by James Edward Smith, founder of the Linnean Society. Ed. rearranged by the botanist Charles Johnson (1791-1880), his name appearing first on vol. VIII of text. Ref. Nissen (BBI) 2225. - Cp. Pritzel 8789 & 8792...The Second Edition, initially titled, "The New Edition", comprised 2,580 consecutively re-numbered impressions from the First Edition and it's Supplements plus a further 168 plates within supplements to volumes 1 to 7 some of which were entirely new and erratically numbered from 2800 (May 1837) to 2866 (November 1841). This edition was published progressively from 1832 to 1846 to form a 12 volume set with greatly reduced and revised yet more concise texts. This edition was "Arranged according to the Linnaean method" by Charles Johnson, botany lecturer at Guy's Hospital. The hand coloured, copper plate engravings were printed on high quality paper, facing blank opposites resulting in none of the text off-setting that is the bane of many first edition plates. It is also apparent that a new, non-bleeding, acid-free black ink was used for the impressions, resulting in improved print clarity. The plates were not as comprehensively coloured as in the first edition but the colouring was of better quality, especially of the mosses and lichens. Minor reworking of some of the very fine details is evident. It is not known how many second edition copies were printed, but the extreme rarity of surviving sets (only one known as at July 2021) indicates that it was a very low number. .

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