Anthophilus, I. [J. G. Mueller?]
Wohlbewährtes Garten-Buch, worinnen nicht nur von vielen seltenen Geheimnissen sondern auch von den Pflanzen, Blumen, und andern Garten-Gewächsen, auch der Baum-Zucht von allerhand ordinären, wie auch besonderes von Zwerg-Bäumen nützliche Anzeige und gründliche Nachricht ertheilet wird von Isodorus Antophilus. Aus dem franzósischen übersetzt, und mit Kupfern versehen.
Luzern und Strassburg, gedruckt auf Kosten guter Freunde, 1758. 8vo (18.0 x 11.2 cm). Engraved frontispiece, title in red and black. [iv], 370, [vi] pp.; eight engraved plates with 12 figures. Chapters with woodcut vignettes. Original wooden panel with paper cover. Printed label on the spine.
This nice, rare book deals with trees in particular. The frontispiece shows a gardener cutting a tree in a pot with a lovely view of a castle with gardens. It also contains a six-page list of tulip names. It is not mentioned by any botanical compiler (Nissen, Pritzler, Stafleu and Cowan, etc.). The Cat. BM(NH) (p. 52) lists "Anthophilo (Christian) [ Pseud.?] Deliciae hortensis ... Vermehrt ...", and refers to a work by J. G. Mueller, published in 1675 under a different title, and in 1709-1710, with another edition in 1734 (p. 1369). The present edition, with the name Isodorus instead of Christian, and an entirely different pagination, may be based on any of these predecessors, which are all rare. The frontispiece clearly dates from the mid-18th century. A French edition, indicated in the title, is unknown. Uncut. Covers worn, binding weak. A faint dampstain to the title page right margin; a few small wormholes in the rear board and last text pages, otherwise a very good copy. Of this work, OCLC reports only four copies: two in German libraries, one in France, one in the U.S.A. Very rare.