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Gosse, Philip Henry.
Actinologia Britannica. A History of the British Sea-Anemones and Corals.
Publisher: Van Voorst, Paternoster Row, London;
Date of Publication: 1860
Stock Code: 15034
First edition. Octavo, pp., xl, 362, plus full-page tissue-guarded chromolithographic frontispiece and 11 further tissue-guarded lithographic plates, 10 of which are full-colour, as called for. Contemporary crimson full morocco, spine on five raised bands, titled and ornamented in gilt to compartments, panel design in gilt to upper board; geometric rolls to edges and turn-ins; all edges gilt; citron end-papers. Rubbing to extremities, particularly to corners, spine sunned, light soiling to boards, binding otherwise square and solid. Contents clean, plates bright and fresh. A solid, clean copy, internally fresh. Gosse’s most famous work, which is extensively illustrated with depictions of every identified British coral or anemone. The 12 plates executed by W. Dickes after drawings by Gosse are ‘among the finest of Dickes’ finest colour plates [...] the softness, subtlety and richness of the colouring far exceeds in quality the best achieved by the four-colour processes of today’ (McLean 145). £185.00