The English Flora Vol IV James Edward Smith 1830 2nd Ed Paper Boards
 
Title & bibliographic details
The English Flora, in Four Volumes. Volume IV only.
By Sir James Edward Smith, M.D., F.R.S., member of the Academies of Stockholm, Upsal, Turin, Lisbon, Philadelphia, New York and others; Honorary Member of the Horticultural Society of London; and President of the Linnean Society.
London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, Paternoster-Row, 1830.
Printed by Richard Taylor, Printer to the University of London, Red Lion Court, Fleet Street.
Second Edition.
Octavo. viii + 360 pages.
This listing is for Volume IV only of the four-volume Second Edition.
 
Historical & bibliographic context
The English Flora was one of Sir James Edward Smith's principal works on British botany and an important contribution to the systematic study of the native flora of Britain.
The Second Edition is bibliographically recorded as a four-volume publication issued between 1828 and 1830. The present volume bears the date 1830 on its title page and is Volume IV of that edition.
The volume follows the Linnaean system of classification and opens with Class XX, Gynandria, including detailed descriptions of British orchids such as Orchis, Aceras and Herminium. Later sections include Monoecia and Dioecia, with descriptions of plant structure, appearance and botanical characteristics.
Smith's detailed treatment of individual species, together with references to earlier botanical authorities and his own observations, makes the work an important record of early nineteenth-century botanical knowledge.
The period is of particular interest in the history of natural history, when systematic classification was central to the study of plants and the identification and documentation of Britain's native flora.
 
About the author
Sir James Edward Smith (1759–1828) was a leading British botanist and founder and first President of the Linnean Society of London.
Smith is particularly associated with acquiring the botanical collections and manuscripts of Carl Linnaeus, which he brought to Britain. He became one of the principal figures in establishing systematic botany in Britain.
The English Flora remains one of his most significant works on British plants and is collected by those interested in botanical history, natural history and the development of scientific classification.
 
Binding & exterior description
The volume retains its period brown paper-covered boards and spine, with a paper title label applied to the spine.
This is a particularly appealing feature of the present copy. Comparable copies encountered in the market are frequently found in cloth or later bindings, whereas this volume retains the character of its early paper-covered boards.
The paper covering is worn, with tears and losses along the spine and edges, together with fading and light marks. The paper spine label remains present but shows rubbing and wear.
The corners are bumped and rubbed.
The binding remains intact and the text block is securely held.
The surviving paper-covered binding gives the volume considerable early nineteenth-century character and is an important feature for collectors who value original period construction and appearance.
 
Interior condition
The interior is bright for its age and retains a comparatively fresh appearance.
The paper is only very lightly tanned, with occasional light foxing and small or light marks which do not affect the text.
There are occasional light creases and some mild natural cockling or crinkling to the leaves.
The pages retain untrimmed edges, resulting in occasional very small marginal edge tears. These do not affect the printed text.
There is a very small hole at the edge of page 104 and the corresponding area of page 105. This is minimal and does not affect the text.
There is some pencil writing to the front free endpaper.
The pages are otherwise neat and clean, and the text block is tightly bound.
 
Physical details
Format: Octavo
Binding: Brown paper-covered boards with paper spine label
Pagination: viii + 360 pages
Dimensions: approximately 22.9 × 14.7 × 2.6 cm
Weight: approximately 525 g
Illustrations: None
Dust jacket: None