Botanical Names for English Readers
 
By Randal H. Alcock
First Edition, Author’s Presentation Copy – 1876
Published by L. Reeve & Co., London
 
A scarce and historically valuable Victorian botanical work, a signed first edition presentation copy, penned by Randal H. Alcock and gifted to Rev. H. W. Perris, a prominent Unitarian minister. This attractively bound 1876 volume offers accessible explanations of Latin plant names and the etymological and historical roots of botanical classification, making it a wonderful reference for amateur botanists, scholars, and collectors alike.
 
Features
First Edition, confirmed by matching 1876 preface date
Author’s Inscription in Ink on half-title:
"Rev. H. W. Perris from the Author R. H. Alcock"
Additional pencil note: “Author’s Presentation Copy”
Original publisher’s binding: russet-brown cloth with black embossed designs and gilt lettering to spine and front board
Top-edge brown, dark brown endpapers and pastedowns
Bookseller’s label: Foyles, 121 Charing Cross Road, London
236 pages
Published by L. Reeve & Co., 5 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, London
Printed by Gilbert and Rivington, St. John's Square, London
 
Binding & Cover
Bound in the publisher’s original reddish-brown cloth boards, decorated in black and gilt, with blind-stamped design to rear.
Structurally intact and robust
Light spine lean
General shelfwear including bumping to corners, small tears at spine ends, bubbling to front cloth, and light marks
Gilt still bright
Please refer to the photographs for specific details.
 
Interior
Pages lightly tanned throughout, as expected
Light foxing to endpapers, prelims, and final leaves
Occasional minor spots elsewhere, but otherwise clean and unmarked
No text obscured; a few small tears to page edges
Inner hinges lightly cracked but holding well
Majority of pages tightly bound; no loose pages
All 236 pages present
No other writing or marginalia
 
Dimensions
Height: 22 cm
Width: 14.3 cm
Thickness: 2 cm
Weight: 471g
 
Historical Note
Randal Hibbert Alcock of Hudcar House, Bury, Lancashire, was an accomplished 19th-century scholar with interests in natural sciences and etymology.
Rev. Henry Woods Perris, the recipient of this copy, was a notable figure in Unitarian religious life, born in Liverpool and deceased in 1926 in London.
Despite light wear, this remains an exceptional presentation copy of a scarce Victorian botanical work, ideal for collectors of science, botany, and inscribed 19th-century books.
 
Please study the photographs carefully as they form part of the condition report.

Thank you so much for looking.