Common Edible & Poisonous Mushrooms South Africa 1953 Bottomley & Talbot Plates
 
Bibliographic Details
Title: Common Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms in South Africa (Botany and Plant Pathology Series No. 17, Bulletin No. 324)
Authors: Miss A. M. Bottomley and P. H. B. Talbot
Publisher: Union of South Africa, Department of Agriculture
Place of Publication: Pretoria, South Africa
Printer: The Government Printer, Pretoria
Publication Date: 1953 (title page). The front cover carries the Department of Agriculture issue date of 1954, reflecting distribution rather than a later edition.
Edition: First edition.
 
Historical & Bibliographic Context
This attractive government bulletin was produced to help distinguish edible mushrooms from poisonous species found throughout South Africa. Issued by the Union of South Africa Department of Agriculture, it combines practical field identification with scientific descriptions intended for farmers, foragers, agricultural officers and naturalists.
Unlike many inexpensive field guides of the period, this work contains a remarkable sequence of colour plates reproduced opposite the relevant species descriptions, making it both scientifically useful and visually appealing.
The original erratum slip remains attached to the title page, correcting the identification of one illustrated species, an important point for collectors seeking complete examples.
 
About the Authors
Miss A. M. Bottomley was one of South Africa's leading mycologists and produced numerous authoritative works on fungi and plant pathology.
P. H. B. Talbot was a distinguished South African mycologist whose research greatly advanced the study of fungi throughout southern Africa.
 
Illustrations
Complete with all colour mushroom plates facing pages:
11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47 and 49.
Also present are the line illustrations on page 4 illustrating the development of Amanita and the principal types of volvas.
The original erratum slip remains attached to the title page.
 
Binding & Exterior
Original publisher's staple-bound pictorial paper wrappers.
The booklet remains in very good collectable condition.
Wear consists of:
light foxing 
light staining 
minor edge creasing 
The covers remain bright and structurally sound.
 
Interior Condition
The pages are lightly toned with slightly darker toning to the title page and final blank page.
The interior is exceptionally clean overall.
Condition includes:
occasional very small marks 
very light creasing 
no page tears 
all colour plates present 
original erratum slip attached 
all pages secure 
A particularly well-preserved example.
 
Physical Details
49 pages 
Complete with all colour plates 
Approx. 24.7 × 15.8 × 0.6 cm 
Approx. 143 g 
 
Rarity & Collector Notes
Scarce.
This government publication appears on the market only occasionally.
While institutional library copies survive, clean privately owned examples retaining all colour plates together with the original erratum slip are considerably less common.
Collectors of mycology, South African natural history, botanical illustration and agricultural publications actively seek complete early government bulletins of this quality.