[NATURAL HISTORY]. SOWERBY, James (1757-1822). English Botany; or, Coloured Figures of British Plants... London, 1790-1814; 1831-1849.

41 volumes bound in 25, 8vo. 2998 hand-colored engraved plates including some folding (a few plates trimmed close affecting numbers, pale dampstaining to plate 1560, intermittent spotting or light browning.) Modern cloth.

FIRST EDITION bound from the parts in botanical order, according to Manual of British Botany by Charles Cardale Babington, without original index volume. "English Botany is of value even to the present day as a work of reference, and as an illustrated flora of our country it has never been surpassed" (Henrey, p.143). A COMPLETE SET OF THIS IMPORTANT BOTANICAL PERIODICAL (excepting the index), containing the rare copy of the final supplement, which according to Henrey: "Few copies of No.83 appear to exist. This number contains the description of plate 2995 (the plate having been published in No.82) the descriptions and plates 2996-8, and the description only of plate 2999." This copy has all the plates plus the wrappers for the final supplement parts. The original publication made no attempt to produce the plates in a systematic order, which caused some frustration as Mr. Salter, the publisher for the final Supplement, offers on the rear wrappers of nos. 81-83 to "rearrange sets... in the Natural Orders". In this set, vols. 2-15 contain the flowering plants, vols. 16-18 Musci, vol. 19 Hepaticae, vols. 20-22 Lichens, and 23-24 Algae.

Each volume contains a manuscript title, vol.2 with original title and preface to vol.1 bound in (remaining printed titles discarded). Vol.1 contains: a manuscript contents leaf; manuscript notes to the index; an index which combines the original printed plate numbers with the new manuscript enumeration according to Babington; a copy of Manual of British Botany; and the titles, prefaces, indices and errata to the first four Supplement volumes, the final volume (no. 25) contains the seven parts of the fifth Supplement and with the original blue (beige for no. 82) printed wrappers bound in. Cleveland Collections 601; Henrey 1366-68; Nissen BBI 2225.

[With:] 71 supplement parts in original blue wrappers.

Property from the Estate of Peter Fortsas