Curtis, W.
Curtis's Botanical Magazine; or Flower-Garden Displayed: In which the most ornamental foreign plants cultivated in the open ground, the green-house, and the stove, are accurately represented and coloured. To which are added, their names, class, order, generic and specific characters, according to the system of Linnaeus; their places of growth, times of flowering: together with the most approved methods of culture. Vol LIX (59) of the New Series; or Vol. CXXIX (129) of the whole work.
London, Samuel Curtis, 1903. 8vo (23.7 x 15.2 cm). Title page with engraved vignette; dedication page (to George Nicholson, late Curator of the Royal Gardens, Kew); 60 fine engraved plates with original hand-colouring (many larger, folded), and accompanying text.
This is "A work intended for the use of such ladies, gentlemen, and gardeners, as wish to become scientifically acquainted with the plants they cultivate," as originally stated by William Curtis. The illustrations - many larger, folded - are excellent. All volumes are very uncommon, and much sought-after. Those from around 1900 - still with hand-coloured plates - are among the rarest. This volume is available nowhere else on the internet. It contains the plants (plates and descriptions) numbered 7872 to 7931, as well as a title page, dedication leaf, and index of Latin names. The editor of this volume was the great British botanist, and Charles Darwin's best friend, Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817-1911). Disbound, no covers, but book block intact and strong. Stamp on title, but otherwise very good, clean. Great Flower Books, 2; Hunt, 184; Nissen BBI, 2350; Stafleu and Cowan, 1290.
