Lot 177: Twining, Elizabeth

Illustrations of the Natural Orders of Plants. London: Joseph Cundall, 1849 2 volumes, folio (19 1/8 x 13 in.; 487 x 330 mm). 152 plates present, but 151(of 160, Sapotaceae plate duplicated and bound in with text for Strychnaceae , no. 87) handcolored lithographed plates; light browning to plates and text, occasional marginal soiling to plates, fore-edges in vol. 1 slightly stained from title-page to pl. 11, lacking plates 1, 21, 37, 66, 81, 87, 94, 97, and 101 and text for pls. 37 and 97, slight offsetting of pl. 22 to text, title-page and contents leaf in vol. 2 and pls. 46 and 104 foxed. Publisher's half brown morocco over wave-grain cloth, upper covers and spines lettered gilt, marbled endpapers, top edges gilt; extremities rubbed, upper joint of vol. 1 starting, casing of vol. 2 sprung.

Great Flower Books , p. 78; Nissen BBI 2018; Pritzel 9591

First edition. The plants are arranged by botanical family, with British and foreign species depicted on a single plate, resulting in admirable and attractive groupings of form and color. The author, a granddaughter of British tea merchant Richard Twining, divided her time between philanthropy and botany. She was also a founding member of the Bedford College for girls.