Phytologia Britannica,

[How (William)],

Phytologia Britannica,

natales exhibens indigenarum stirpium sponte emergentium.

Description: FIRST (ONLY) EDITION, woodcut device on title, without the initial blank, text printed in a mixture of Roman, Italic, and Black letter, 4 leaves with small holes affecting a few letters, pp. [iii-xvi], 133, [1], small 8vo, contemporary calf, rebacked, corners worn, crackling of covers, contemporary signature at head of title of Edward Heaston, later indecipherable library stamp in outer margin of title, but otherwise a sound clean copy,

Publication Details: London: Richard Cotes for Octavian Pulleyn, 1650

Notes: First edition of this important seventeenth-century record of British flora. 'In the main a verbatim reprint of Johnson's Mercurius Botanicus. William How augmented the list with a number of other records of plants, a number [of which] are held to be of interest and value' (Henrey).In presenting both Latin and English terms for plant life, How's work offers a fascinating snapshot of botanical vernacular terminology; thus, 'Geranium Haematodes' becomes 'bloody cranes-bill'. and so on. Of particular interest are the specified localities where the plants may be found, for example, 'Hedgehogg Per...moreFirst edition of this important seventeenth-century record of British flora. 'In the main a verbatim reprint of Johnson's Mercurius Botanicus. William How augmented the list with a number of other records of plants, a number [of which] are held to be of interest and value' (Henrey).In presenting both Latin and English terms for plant life, How's work offers a fascinating snapshot of botanical vernacular terminology; thus, 'Geranium Haematodes' becomes 'bloody cranes-bill'. and so on. Of particular interest are the specified localities where the plants may be found, for example, 'Hedgehogg Persley [...] in the corn fields around Bath'. The locations are both geographically very broad, and at the same time extraordinarily specific. For example, 'Turritis minor' or 'The lesser towers mustard' is to be found 'in a lane between Wulwich and Carleton'. This not only paints a distinctly bucolic picture of an area of London now known for its concrete plant, but also raises questions about knowledge-gathering in this period, and whether the author was well-travelled, or crowd sourced the information from like-minded botanists. HIDE

Bibliography: (Henrey 290; ESTC R14016)

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Price: £650

Subject: Sciences

Published Date: 1650

Stock Number: 49762

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