Flowers of the Field – Rev C.A. Johns – Scarce Victorian Botanical Guide c1870
 
Flowers of the Field by The Reverend Charles Alexander Johns
 
Features
 
Botanical classic on British wild flowers
Illustrated throughout with botanical engravings (a few in colour)
The colour illustrations by have been hand painted afterwards, but are of a high standard (see photos) 
Sixth edition (circa 1870 or earlier)
Half-bound green leather and cloth
Orange pastedowns and gilt page edges
Includes pressed flowers and leaves
 
Bibliographic Details
 
Author: Reverend C. A. Johns (Charles Alexander Johns, 1811–1874)
Title: Flowers of the Field
Publisher: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London Depositories:
77 Great Queen Street, Lincoln’s Inn Fields; 4 Royal Exchange; 48 Piccadilly, London
Printer: R. Clay, Son, and Taylor, Printers, Bread Street Hill, London
Edition: Sixth Edition (no date on title page; likely 1860s to 1870 based on known edition sequences and an owner inscription dated 1870)
Collation: lix, 664 pages
Illustrations: Botanical illustrations throughout; colour illustrations on pages 65, 213, 590, 593 (may be original colour illustrations or later hand colouring)
Special Inserts: Pressed flowers between pp. 110–111; small pressed leaf between pp. 520–521 and 526–527
Format: Botanical reference / field guide
 
Interior Condition
 
Orange pastedowns and endpapers with gilt page edges intact
Light tanning typical of Victorian botanical guides
A few pencil marks on flyleaf, pp. 213 and 590 (do not affect readability or illustrations)
Pages generally neat and clean for age
Occasional tiny edge rips not affecting text
Light cracks in the gutter between some gatherings, but all pages remain secure and attached
Pressed botanical specimens add character and historic interest
 
Exterior Condition
 
Half leather binding (green leather on spine, corners, and inner board edges)
Boards in textured green cloth with gilt decorative edges
Panelled spine with 5 raised bands, gilt decoration and gilt author/title on red panel
Binding structurally solid with expected age wear:
Bumping and small rips at corners
Spine label partially lifting
Minor rubbing, light marks and discolouration
Small rips to head and tail of spine
 
Despite wear, the cover is intact and robust considering its age.
 
About the Book
 
Flowers of the Field was one of the most popular nineteenth-century field guides to British wildflowers, combining natural history with accessible botanical description. First published by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge in 1851, the work proved extremely popular and went through numerous editions over the next several decades. 
 
Johns’ presentations are informed by the Linnaean system of classification, giving both common and Latin names alongside habitat notes. This edition clearly shows the work’s evolution and enduring influence on amateur and scholarly botany alike.
The presence of pressed flowers and leaves in this copy adds a personal botanical history, often found in Victorian botanical collectors’ copies.
 
About the Author
 
Charles Alexander Johns (1811–1874) was a British clergyman, naturalist, and botanical author. Educated in botany from an early age, he wrote several popular natural history guides, of which Flowers of the Field became his signature work, earning enduring recognition among field botanists and nature lovers. Wikipedia
 
Rarity & Market Context
 
This title ran through many editions across the second half of the 19th century and into the early 20th century, sometimes revised and expanded by editors such as G. S. Boulger.
Edition sequencing evidence:
Early editions began from mid-19th century
Later remodelling and expanded editions appeared through the 1910s and beyond
A true sixth edition with these physical characteristics is much less common than later editions or reprints, particularly when in leather and with original colour work retained.
 
Collector Notes
 
Victorian botanical classics like this are often sought by collectors of natural history, botanical art, and gilt-edge books
Pressed botanicals in situ enhance provenance and appeal
Original half-leather bindings on these garden/field guides are relatively scarce versus later cloth editions
Colour plates (whether original or hand coloured) add to its desirability