Rare, antiquarian, used & out-of-print books on herbals and herbs at Horizon Books.

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, Hot-Houses, Fruit-Houses, Hot-Walls, &c. With Directions for Raising Melons and Early Strawberries. London, John Stockdale, 1789, First edition, 8vo [23 x 15 cm]; xvi, 238, [ii, ads] pp 5 folding copper-engraved plates printed in red (one with tear at fold), contemporary quarter vellum and marbled boards, contemporary vellum spine professionally rebacked, ink title lettering on spine in contemporary hand, cover lightly used, interior is clean and near fine tall copy, no ownership marks.

The author operated a nursery but is 'best known as a best-selling writer on practical gardening' [Henrey], an 'outstanding British pomologist' [Jansen 269]. An important contribution to fruit growing. Henrey 402. Cleveland Herbal Collection 589.

US$650. bookID # 13720


BLAIR, John L.; British Wild Flowers. Edinburgh and London, W. & R. Chambers, [1953], First edition, 8vo [22 x 15 cm]; 239 pp, frontis, 80 full-page color plates from paintings, printed on both sides, many other plates from drwgs, other illustrations in text, tables, glossary, index, original green cloth with gilt spine title lettering, cover and endpaper stains, good solid copy.

A comprehensive and very well-illustrated work covering flowers of the woods, hedgerow, field, wayside, wasteland, meadow, waterside with appendices on herbal lore and folklore of flowers.

US$4. bookID # 8892


COATS, Peter; Flowers; The Story of Flowers, Plants and Gardens Through the Ages. [London], Peerage Books, [c1970], , 4to [25.5 x 19 cm]; 264 pp, color frontis, 40 pages of color illus, 148 other photos, many illustrations from drawings, index, original pictorial cloth, spine title lettering, dj, fine and clean, unmarked.

This description of the evolution of the English garden is a comprehensive introduction to garden history, including the great horticulturists from Gerard and Parkinson, the famous herbalists, to Gertrude Jekyll and William Robinson. The author demonstrates how the plants of European and American gardens have evolved throughout the centuries. The book was published in the USA as Flowers in History.

US$20. bookID # 12935


EDLIN, H. L.; British Plants and Their Uses. London, B. T. Batsford, [1951], First edition, 8vo [22 x 15 cm]; viii, 152 pp, color frontis, 110 illustrations with 52 photos, some full-page, illustrations from drwgs, index, original green cloth with gilt spine title lettering, dj (tear, rubbed, price clipped), signature on endpaper, cover stained, damp rippling, good reading copy.

The author describes 450 wild and cultivated plant species with specific uses, including food, grain, condiments, hops, drugs, poisons, fibre yielding, dyestuffs, peat mosses, plants from the sea, herbs, etc with good illustrations.

US$8. bookID # 7882


GOOD, Peter P.; The Family Flora and Materia Medica Botanica, containing the Botanical Analysis, Natural History, and Chemical and Medical Properties and Uses of Plants. Cambridge, Mass, Peter P. Good, 1854, , 8vo [924 x 15.5 cm]; 2 volumes, both half titles, extra tinted lithographed title in each volume, 98 hand colored plates (numbered 1 - 96, 99, 100, as called for), with tissue guards, ads in volume I has lithographed portrait plate of author, later full green morocco leather, gilt spine title lettering, some light foxing or offsetting from plates on few leaves but a clean fine set.

Plesch 294. Bennet p 46. McGrath 46. Aatwater 1377. Not in Nissen. The 1st edition of 1845 had only 48 color plates. The book was expanded with double the number of plates and this is the preferred edition. Each plate has 4 pages of descriptive text, blank leaf and tissue guard, plus this copy has the lithographed plate of the author. This set also has the two hand colored plates on Linnaean Classification.

US$550. bookID # 12903


MADDOCK, James; The Florist's Directory, a Treatise on the Culture of Flowers, to Which is Added a Supplementary Dissertation on Soils, Manures, etc; a new edition improved by Samuel Curtis. London, John Harding, 1810, Second edition; a new edition, improved, 8vo [23.5 x 14 cm]; viii, 271, [ix, description of plates] pp, 8 hand-colored plates with descriptive leaves, contemporary full morocco, gilt border on covers, gilt spine title lettering and decorations, joint with short crack but firm, marbled endpapers & edges, bookplate on endpaper, lightly foxed on few margins, interior is quite clean, near fine.

BMNH 1296. Henry II, p. 393, describes this book as the best book on florist's flowers until Hogg's work. Cleveland Herbal and Botanical Collection 859 lists the 1822 edition. The first edition of 1792 had only 6 plates. The fine plates include flowers, vegetables and gardening equipment.

US$200. bookID # 12969


MADDOCK, James; The Florist's Directory, a Treatise on the Culture of Flowers, to Which is Added a Supplementary Dissertation on Soils, Manures, etc; a new edition improved by Samuel Curtis. London, John Harding, 1810, Second edition, 8vo [23.5 x 14 cm]; viii, 271, [ix, description of plates], 36 [publisher's catalogue] pp, 8 hand-colored plates with tissue guards and descriptive leaves, original paper covered boards, later cloth spine, original title label preserved but worn, edges of covers worn, internally very light foxing on a few leaves, old signature on endpaper, but internally clean and near fine..

BMNH 1296. Henry II, p. 393, describes this book as the best book on florist's flowers until Hogg's work. Cleveland Herbal and Botanical Collection 859 lists the 1822 edition. The first edition of 1792 had only 6 plates. The fine plates include flowers, vegetables and gardening equipment. Its unusual to find this title in the original boards

US$240. bookID # 4426


MAUND, B.; The Botanic Garden; Consisting of Highly Finished Figures of Hardy Ornamental Flowering Plants, Cultivated in Great Britain with Their Names, Orders, History, Qualities, Culture & Physiological Observations, Volume I. London, George Bell and Sons, 1878, , large 8vo [26 x 18 cm]; [viii], 248, 8 [ads] pp, 42 fine hand colored plates (#1-42), most plates with 5 illustrations, blank versos, index, original pictorial gilt cloth, corners worn, spine with large section lacking at top but not loss to title lettering, rear front joint of spine is split, the plates are clean and bright, free of foxing, interior is very good and clean.

Originally published in 13 volumes in 1825-1851, there were a number of other printings, this one published in six volumes, this being volume I. Each plant is described in detail including history, culture etc. The plates are detailed and well-colored. Cleveland Herbal Collection 905. Dunthorne 198. Nissen 2222. Pritzel 6004. Great Flower Books p. 160.

US$130. bookID # 8995


MAUND, B.; The Botanic Garden; Consisting of Highly Finished Figures of Hardy Ornamental Flowering Plants, Cultivated in Great Britain with Their Names, Orders, History, Qualities, Culture & Physiological Observations, Volume V. London, George Bell and Sons, 1878, , large 8vo [26 x 18 cm]; [iv], 231, 8 [ads] pp, 42 fine hand colored plates (#167-208), most plates with 5 illustrations, blank versos, index, original pictorial gilt cloth, corners worn, spine chipped at ends, the plates are clean and bright, free of foxing, very good.

Originally published in 13 volumes in 1825-1851, there were a number of other printings, this one published in six volumes, this being volume V. Each plant is described in detail including history, culture etc. The plates are detailed and well-colored. Cleveland Herbal Collection 905. Dunthorne 198. Nissen 2222. Pritzel 6004. Great Flower Books p. 160.

US$110. bookID # 8994


MAWE, Thomas, and John Abercrombie; Every Man his Own Gardener; The Compete Gardener, being a Gardener's Calendar or work to be done in the Kitchen, Fruit, Flower, Forcing Garden, &c. for Every Month in the Year...Directions for the Propagation, culture of Various Plants, Flowers, Shrubs,. London, J. F. and C. Rivington, T. Longman, B. Law, et al, 1787, eleventh edition, corrected and greatly enlarged, 8vo [18 x 11.5 cm]; [iv], 616, [xix, index] pp, engraved frontispiece, index, leather backed marbled boards, gilt title lettering on red leather spine label, gilt ruled, raised bands, joints a little rubbed, light stain on few leaves but a near fine, clean copy.

Cleveland Herbal and Horticultural Collection 734 (whose copy lacks a leaf). Henrey 1062: 'The preface of the edition of 1787 and also the preface to most later editions is signed by the real author or only author of the book, John Abercrombie'. Includes all aspects of gardening in considerable detail, with extensive lists of plants arranged in categories (annuals, kitchen garden, hot house, flowering plants, fruit trees, etc.) It was the standard reference of the time. "Among eighteenth-century British nurserymen who became writers on practical gardening one of the most successful was John Abercrombie." (Henrey) It was first published in 1767 in about half the size of this edition. Mawe, a gardener to the Duke of Leeds, did not contribute, but his name was added because of his fame at the time. This was an important gardening handbook of the time covering all aspects including greenhouse, hot-house, fruit growing, flowers, kitchen garden, etc. This edition has the added chapter Systematic Catalogue of Hot-House Plants, not in earlier editions. The work lists thousands of species of trees, plants, flowers by type.

US$140. bookID # 10376


TEA, ; Patents for Inventions, Abridgments of Specifications, Class 129, Tea, Coffee, Cocoa and Like Beverages, Period 1855-1866, 1877-1900, 1905-30. London, His Majesty's Stationery Office, 1893-1934, , 8vo [27 x 18.5 cm); 9 parts covering period 1855-1866, 1877-1900, 1905-1930, each part is 30-40 pages, most pages with illustrations in text, original printed wraps, some covers chipped, few covers loose, all parts clean, unmarked, overall internally very good.

With the exceptions as noted, a very good run of this scarce series from 1855 to 1930, with very detailed illustrations of each machine, utensil, apparatus, gadget or device. The subject matter includes the manufacture and preparation of coffee, cocoa, tea, but also related beverages such as chicory, herbal tea, substitutes for coffee, tea and cocoa, infusions, extracting of caffeine, etc. A remarkable reference filled with ideas for anyone interested in beverages. Almost every page has several illustrations. There are parts 1855-66; 1877-83; 1884-88; 1889-92; 1893-96; 1897-1900; 1905-8; 1909-15; 1916-20; 1921-25; 1926-30, the last part published in 1934.

US$350. bookID # 11151


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