Abercrombie, John. The Hot-House Gardener on the General Culture of the Pine-Apple. And methods of forcing early Grapes, Peaches, Nectarines, and other choice fruits in Hot-Houses, Vineries, Fruit-Houses, Hot-Walls, &c. with directions for raising melons and early Strawberries.
1st. Ed. Pub. John Stockdale, London. 1789 pp.xvi, 238 with 4 [of 5] plates plus 2-page publisher’s catalogue. Large 8vo. Contents in thor. vg. to nr. fine condition. More recently bound in oat-coloured cloth with gilt lettered label, light marking to spine and extremities o/w. in fine condition.
‘Among 18th century British nurserymen who became writers on practical gardening, one of the most successful was John Abercrombie.’ (Henrey). Over half of this work comprises a detailed, practical, advice on the culture of the Pineapple. The remainder focusses on grapes, peaches, nectarines, melons and strawberries. Abercrombie was an ‘outstanding pomologist’ (Jansen).
£300.00 [ref: 51892]

view all images for this item

Brookshaw, George. The Horticultural Repository. Containing delineations of the best varieties of the different species of English Fruits.
1st. Ed. Pub. London. [1820] -1823 Two volumes bound as one. Ex Stoke-on-Trent City Library copy, bound in ochre coloured boards - near fine condition. Spine indicates ‘Vol. I’, but it is in fact both volumes, complete with the 104 hand-coloured plates as called for (7 fold-out). Neat blind-stamp on title page through to p.2 and first plate, no further lib. markings. Measures 9 1/4 in by 5 3/4 in., with some plates trimmed when rebound. Volume 1 has full-title (not half title); whilst in volume 2 both full and half-titles removed. Overall contents very clean and in near fine condition. Two of the fold-out plates show some superficial wear to image at folds. Overall a very good, ex-library copy of this scarce and sought after work.
‘The best English fruit varieties were featured......in Brookshaw’s ‘Horticultural Repository’, which laid out verbally and visually the essential observations for a successful fruit plantation.’ (from ‘Pomona Britannica’, (2002) pub. Taschen).
£1,500.00 [ref: 53221]

view all images for this item

Darwin, Erasmus. Phytologia: Or the Philosophy of Agriculture and Gardening. With the theory of draining Morasses and with an improved construction of the Drill Plough.
1st. Ed. Printed for J. Johnson, by T. Bensley, Bolt Court, Fleet Street. 1800 pp.viii, 612, [xii] with 12 engraved plates (two being fold-out). 4to. Hardback. Neat signature dated 1818 to title page. A very minor amount of spotting, o/w. contents exceptional and in fine condition. Marbled end-papers. Original half leather over marbled boards showing minor shelf-rubbing, with a more recent, period style, spine in fine condition. A very pleasing copy.
King-Hele said that ‘Phytologia’ is the best of Darwin’s prose works....has many new ideas and some major discoveries, notably the specification of photosynthesis and of plant nutrients’.
£1,500.00 [ref: 58198]

view all images for this item

Elgood, George S. & Jekyll, Gertrude. Some English Gardens.
1st. Ed. Pub. Longmans, Green & Co. 1904 pp.xii, 130 with 50 fine colour reproductions from plates by Elgood. Small folio. Hardback. TEG. Minor spotting and marking, o/w. contents fine. Original blue cloth binding, lettered in gilt, in vg. plus condition, small marks to front cover, very gently rubbed on extremities.
£250.00 [ref: 63009]

Garton, James. The Practical Gardener, and Gentleman’s Directory for Every Month of the Year. Adapted to the New Stile. An entire new work containing the lateft and moft approved Methods of Cultivating and Improving the Kitchen, Flower, Fruit, and Phyfic Garden.
1st. Ed. Printed for E. and C. Dilly, London. 1769 pp.[x], 285, [9]. Fold-out plate and rfep. removed. 8vo. Hardback. Charming early handwritten calculations and names to front pastedown, ffep., and title page. Light wear to margins of index, o/w. overall contents very clean and in thor. vg. condition. Early full calf leather, wanting lettering panel on spine, showing some wear to extremities, o/w. very sound and in vg. condition. A charming copy of this scarce work.
Praised by both Fussell and Janson as standing out from the plethora of other Calendars available at the time. The long-title continues ‘And for Managing the Vineyard and Pine-apple, The Nurfery, Shrubbery, Greenhoufe, and Hothoufe. With proper Directions for Raifing Mushrooms. To which is prefixed, An Essay upon Vegetation, Soil, Manure, and the Nature and Form of Stoves, Hot-beds, &c.’.
£225.00 [ref: 68884]

Gerarde, John, [Gerard, John]. The Herball [Herbal] or Generall [General] Historie of Plants.
2nd. Rev. Ed. Printed by Adam Islip, Joice Norton and Richard Whitakers. 1636 pp.[xxxviii], 1632 with engraved title, over 2,500 wood-block engravings plus Indexes and Table of Virtues. Collated and complete. Folio. Hardback. Seven wood-block engravings hand coloured (not dated but in keeping with the practice of the period). Last leaf professionally remargined with loss to a couple of letters only. Other than marking to some margins, as is common with herbals, and some occ. minor spotting the contents are very clean and nr. fine. More recently handsomely rebound in full calf with raised bands and blind ruling decoration, a trifle marked o/w. fine.
A very pleasing copy of Thomas Johnson’s expanded version of John Gerarde’s Herball (first published 1597). It is ‘noteworthy for its many corrections, improvements, additions’ (Henrey). Johnson indicated where he had made amendments with obelisk and double obelisk symbols.
£4,500.00 [ref: 63843]

view all images for this item

Harrison, Charles. A Treatise On The Culture And Management Of Fruit Trees.
2nd. Ed. Pub. for the Author. 1825 pp.xii, 356 with figs. in text. 8vo. Hardback. Marbled fore-edges. With period signature and personal roundel to title-page. Occ. minor spotting, title-page slightly trimmed, o/w. contents fine. Occ. period marginal annotation plus recipes for waterproof cement, a dressing for fruit-trees, paint for woodwork or walls, the Gilchrist Compound and zinc labels to rfep. Also loosely inserted are an advert for Gilchrist Compound ((c. 1859) featuring reviews of its effectiveness by Sir J.W. Hooker and Mr. Rivers) and a period article, with illus., for Grape Vine Mildew. More recently rebound in red-cloth, retaining original spine label, lightly spotted on rear, o/w. fine. A charming, unique copy.
A detailed, well illustrated treatise considering Apples, Pears, Plums, Cherry, Apricot, Peach and Nectarine trees. Also discusses Vines, Figs and the Gooseberry, Raspberry and Strawberry.
£175.00 [ref: 34581]

view all images for this item

Haworth, Adrian Hardy. Observations on the Genus Mesembryanthemum. In two parts containing scientific descriptions of above one hundred and thirty species, about fifty of which are new; directions for their management; new arrangements for the species; references to authors; and a great variety of critical, philosophical, and explanatory remarks.
1st. Ed. Pub. London by the Author. 1794 pp.[8], 480. 8vo. Hardback. From the library of Prof. Leonard E. Newton with his stamp to bottom margin of title. Contents fine. More recent half morocco binding in very pleasing, nr. fine condition. Charming handwritten letter bound in at front dated 20 Nov. 1876 from North Wales Central Botanic Gardens to a member of the public searching for a copy of this title.
Adrian Hardy Howarth (1768-1833) was a British botanist and entomologist being President of The Entomological Society of London from 1806 to 1822. During his lifetime he was the author of 60 publications, primarily concerned with succulent plants and lepidoptera. The facsimile of ‘Observations on the Genus Mesembryanthemum’ published in 1965 by Gregg Press was taken from this copy.
£1,750.00 [ref: 58668]

view all images for this item

Hill, Sir John. Eden: or, a Compleat Body of Gardening. Containing Plain and Familiar Directions for Raising the several useful Products of a Garden, Fruits, Roots, and Herbage; From the Practice of the most successful Gardeners, and the Result of Long Experience.
Printed for T. Osborne; T.Tyre; S. Crowder & Co.; and H. Woodgate. 1757 pp.iv, 714 with 60 fine engraved plates and engraved frontis. Four plates repaired with small hole in plate 55. With short closed tear to two pages and small loss to margin of one further text page. Most of page 313/314 missing. Recently rebound in half brown morocco with marbled boards. A handsome copy.
Originally designed as a companion to his 'Compleat Body of Husbandry' (1756), Eden was published in weekly parts with instructions for work in the garden for the forthcoming week. Self-taught, Hill had a great interest in natural science, and was friends with many of the luminaries of the day including Sir Hans Sloane.
£3,650.00 [ref: 41550]

view all images for this item

J.W. Gent [i.e. Worlidge, John]. Systema Horti-culturae: or, the Art of Gardening.
1st. Ed. Pub. London for Tho. Burrell, and Will. Hensmen. 1677 pp.[24], 285, [19] with additional engraved title-page and 3 engraved plates by F.H. van Houe. 8vo. Hardback. Overall contents thor. vg. Some toning and marking internally. Ffep. with ownership inscription ‘John Cadmene, Book, 1731’ and manuscript calculations, part of blank margin neatly excised. Engraved title with contemporary ownership inscription ‘Rose Gregorye’ scored out. Contemporary leather boards in vg. plus condition, more recently rebacked, this in fine condition. Scarce. ESTC records just 12 copies worldwide.
Intended as a companion to the author's ‘Systema agriculturae’ (1669). The work ‘contains much useful advice and information for the practical gardener. The author, referred to by John Houghton as ‘the ingenious Mr. John Worlidge of Petersfield in Hampshire’, is generally considered one of the most enlightened of the seventeenth-century writers on gardening and husbandry’.
£2,750.00 [ref: 61834]

view all images for this item