< Back

Wilson, John.
A Synopsis of British Plants, in Mr Ray's Method: With their Characters, Descriptions, Places of Growth, Time of Flowering and Physical Virtues, according to the Most Accurate Observations and the Best Modern Authors, Together with a Botanical Dictionary Illustrated with Several Figures.
Publisher: Printed by John Gooding, Newcastle upon Tyne;
Date of Publication: 1744
Stock Code: 9475
FIRST EDITION. Small quarto (approx. 20 cm x 11.5 cm), pp. [8], 16, 272, [8] index. Vignette to title page; 2 plates (one paginated as p. 16). Later bottle green half-calf with 5 raised bands, gilt titles to maroon label to spine and gilt fillet to bands; marbled paper-covered boards. Binding clean and bright. Contents lightly foxed and toned, particularly to prelims; small hole to first plate at upper margin (illustrations unaffected). No annotation or inscriptions, A Near Fine copy with Very Good contents. A novice’s guide to British plant life based upon the flowers, fruit and seed, aimed at scholars with little Latin, and an important reference work. Mr Wilson was obviously a northern plantsman - the Synopsis was published in Newcastle and a note in the Preface “such as I have had opportunity to observe myself are distinguished by this mark...” makes it clear that the selected plants were those growing in Northern counties, many in the environs of Newcastle itself. Scarce. £180.00