An introduction to physiological and systematical botany.

London : Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, 1809. Second edition. Octavo (215 x 140 mm), finely bound in half calf over marbled papered boards (lightly rubbed), spine in compartments with raised bands, ruled and ornamented in gilt and with contrasting morocco title table lettered in gilt; pp. xxiii; [blank]; 533; [1 – advertisements]; illustrated with 15 fine copperplate engravings; light foxing to preliminaries, short marginal tear to one leaf (103-4), but a fine copy.

In 1783, English natural historian James Edward Smith (1759-1828) was fortunate enough to be able to purchase the entire collection of books, manuscripts and specimens of Carolus Linnaeus, after Sir Joseph Banks had declined the opportunity to acquire it. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1786, founded the Linnean Society of London in 1788 (serving as its president until his death), and was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1792. He was a prolific writer on botany, his most notable contribution to the popularisation of the subject being the monumental English Botany (1790-1813), published and illustrated by Sowerby.

This is the second edition of Smith’s An introduction to physiological and systematical botany, first published in 1807.

Pritzel 8745; Stafleu & Cowan 12.249