Lot 40: BLACKWELL, Elizabeth (ca 1700-1758). A Curious Herbal, containing five hundred cuts of the most useful plants... from drawings taken from life . London: Samuel Harding, 1737[-?1739].

BLACKWELL, Elizabeth (ca 1700-1758). A Curious Herbal, containing five hundred cuts of the most useful plants... from drawings taken from life. London: Samuel Harding, 1737[-?1739]. 2 volumes, 2o (365 x 23 mm). 28 pages of letterpress descriptive text to plates 1-56, and 111 leaves of engraved descriptive text. 2 engraved title-pages, 4 engraved dedicatory leaves, one engraved commendation from the Royal College of Physicians, 2 engraved leaves "English index" (one in each volume), 2 engraved leaves "Catalogus Plantarum" (one in each volume), and 500 hand-colored engraved plates. (A few leaves with minor spotting.) Contemporary red calf gilt, covers with gilt border surrounding central arms of Lewis Watson, 2nd Earl of Rockingham, spines in 7 compartments with 6 raised bands, tan and black gilt lettering pieces (lightly rubbed, light chipping to head of spines, joints worn) Provenance: Lewis Watson, 2nd Earl of Rockingham (binding). FIRST EDITION. Elizabeth Blackwell undertook her project in 1735 with the encouragement of various eminent members of the medical profession and with the intention of paying off the debts of her husband Alexander, whose London printing-house had been ruined by rival printers. She took a house opposite the Chelsea Physic Garden, at 4 Swan Walk in order to draw and engrave the plants and create an up-to-date illustrated text of medicinal plants previously lacking in the botanical fields. Her husband helped by supplying the common names of the plants in various languages. The work was a success, and she earned enough to free her husband from debtor's prison. She then emigrated to Sweden with her husband where he found employment as an agricultural expert (Linnaeus visited him in 1746). The present copy appears to be an early issue: both titles are dated 1737, and the "Vol. 2" on Volume 2 title-page is printed and not altered in manuscript. According to Henrey, "there is no uniformity with regard to the number of dedications contained in the various issues, or in the order in which the preliminary leaves are arranged." Cleveland Collections 386, HA Copy 1 this copy; Dunthorne 42; Great Flower Books, p. 50; Henrey 452; Hunt 510; Lisney 175 and 180; Nissen BBI 168; Pritzel 811; Stafleu-Cowan TL2 545. (2)

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