The ferns of southern India. Being descriptions and plates of the ferns of the Madras Presidency

Madras : printed by Gantz Brothers, 1863. First edition. Quarto, half crushed morocco over cloth, edges scuffed, spine in compartments with raised bands, lettered in gilt, rebacked, marbled endpapers, title page, notice to subscribers, pp. [I – creased]; xv; [blank]; 88; vii (index), extensively illustrated with 271 lithographed line illustrations of ferns, a few contemporary pencil annotations, a very good copy.

Very scarce book on Indian ferns. A second edition was published in 1873. The author was a well respected British military officer and naturalist in India, who became chief conservator of the Madras Forest Department. 

“This work will be completed in about sixteen numbers, to be published monthly, each number will contain 12 plates of South-Indian Ferns, with descriptions & localities &c. ; the work will also contain a Synopsis of the Tribes, and an Analytical table of the genera, with their synonyms. As a limited number of Copies only will be printed, Subscribers are requested to send their names and address to the Author, at the Office of the Conservator of Forests, and to pay an advance of 6 Rupees for three numbers’ – Notice, on p. [i].