Bruxelles, Arcade, 1973. Large, square 4to (29.5 x 26.5 cm). 517, [i] pp.; mounted full-colour portrait of Plesch; mounted full-colour photograph of part of his library; several text illustrations, and 32 full-colour facsimiles of quintessential botanical illustrations. Original green cloth with gilt title on the spine and red leather gilt-lettered facsimile bookplate on the front board. Full-colour pictorial dust jacket. Pictorial endpapers.

An authoritative and well-illustrated work, describing 1,001 of the most important works in the history of botany, collected over a very long period by the Hungarian bibliophile and banker Árpád Plesch (1889-1974). This book bears the sub-title Répertoire Bibliograpique de la Bibliothèque Arpad Plesch, and is listed in Great Private Collections. This is a presentation copy, signed on the half-title by Plesch, "To dear Marie Thé and Bill...", and dated February 1974 (he died in December of that year). A second dedication, also on the half-title, by William "Bill" J. Nichols, "in loving memory of Marie Thé", dated July 11, 1992, to Marie Louise and Fred Adams. This is number 20 of a limited edition of 50 copies "reserves a la collection Arpad Plesch". Together with another ten copies, numbered I-X, "ces 60 exemplaires constituent l'edition original de cet ouvrage". Plesch's library was sold with much success in 1975-1978 at Sotheby's. Dust jacket with a vertical fold and short, repaired tear at the spine top; the book itself in pristine condition. Cooper, D. (1963). Great Private Collections.