The Ferns of Great Britain

Full Title: Sowerby, J. E.; Johnson, C.
Second Hand
Hardcover
Author: Sowerby, J. E.)
Published by: Privately Published
Language: English

1st edition. Book Condition: Good.
Attractively bound in green leather with blind stamped and gilt bordered boards, 5 spine bands, gilt spine decoration and gilt title on black label; marbled endpapers and textblock edges. Each partially hand-coloured plate has been bound with a leaf of thin paper resulting in a blank leaf either side of each plate on which has been recorded, where appropriate, the date and location where the fern was foud by the original owner of the book, with dates in the mid 1850s and locations around the Kirby Lonsdale area of NW England. Some dried specemins have been inserted, with no toned shadow to the surrounding leaves. A single plate has been bound upside down. A heraldic crest label with the motto Toujours Fidele is pasted to the FEP. Ownership inscription to first blank. Some light spotting and toning, though many plates remain very clean and the bulk of the textblock re. The binding is rubbed with light staining to the rear board; spine tanned; small discreet repair to bottom of spine; hinges cracked with rear joint starting at top but the book remains firmly bound. An interesting and attractevely bound copy of the first edition.