MEMORANDA OF CURTIS'S BOTANICAL MAGAZINE 1822 - c1832
anonymously hand-printed and illustrated, 1822. Hardcover. Replicas of the first 58 volumes of Curtis Botanical Magazine rendered, in hand-colored floral illustrations and holographic text edited from and amended to the original text by an anonymous English artistic hobbyist and rebound (likely early 20thC) in 24 volumes. William Curtis' first volume was published in 1787; Curtis's volume 59, the last in this hobbyist's project is dated 1832, which coincides when the hobbyist concluded his or her work. (The magazine continues still under the auspices of Kew Gardens.). The hobbyist here started this ambitious undertaking in 1822, which is known from the notation, "Commenced 1822", he or she leaves on the title page of the first volume. The ten-year project concluded sometime in 1832, which the last entry is dated. The monumental work results in replications of illustrations and text for 3,024 species. The drawing and hand-coloring aspires to the original works of James Sowerby, the first of Curtis's artists. The hobbyist here sometimes copies, sometimes adapts Sowerby's style; the result, though technically primitive in execution, is consistently charming. The amateur's colors are not as vibrant as Sowerby's; supplies of high-quality natural pigments would have been limited to the amateurist. Bound-in after Curtis' Volume 42, is the actual, published Part 1 of "General Indexes to the Plants contained in the First Forty-Two Volumed of the Botanical Magazine", printed by Stephen Couchman and published by Sherwood, Neely & Jones, 1816, 40 pp, and Part II, 1817, pp 41 - 111. Most impressive is the hobbyist's holographed index to all Curtis's 53 volumes, which runs approximately 200 double-sided pages. These 58 volumes were collected into 24 bound volumes (presumably organized by the hobbyist thusly) and were professionally rebound in polished black half leather - with five raised bands,titles and devices in gilt to the spine, over green/salmon/ black marbleized boards, with marbleized edges - by appearances sometime in the first quarter of the 20thC by an anonymous binder. The bindings are of highest quality. Laid-in to Volume 1 is the original bill of sale for the work, from Henry A. Martin, print dealer and publisher of Washington DC, dated 11/24/1916. The original bindings were likely calf, which, with age, would have called for some kind of rebinding, here handsomely executed. Near Fine. Item #013470
Price: $8,750.00