PAXTON, Joseph (1801-1865). Magazine of Botany, and Register of Flowering Plants. London: Orr and Smith (vols. I and II), W. S. Orr and Co. (vols. III-XV), [1833] 1834-1849.

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PAXTON, Joseph (1801-1865). Magazine of Botany, and Register of Flowering Plants. London: Orr and Smith (vols. I and II), W. S. Orr and Co. (vols. III-XV), [1833] 1834-1849.

15 volumes only (of 16), 8° (230 x 151mm). 698 ENGRAVED AND LITHOGRAPHIC PLATES, ALMOST ALL HAND-COLOURED, including 26 double-page or folding, by F. W. Smith and S. and J. Holden, volumes II-IV with annual seed catalogue advertisements bound in at back. (Lacking one plate in vol. I, occasional spotting, mainly to tissue guards, one or two plates very slightly shaved.) Contemporary green half calf, spines in five compartments with raised bands (vols. I-IV), remaining volumes in contemporary purple half morocco, spines in four comaprtments with raised bands (spines darkened, a few rubbed or lightly scuffed). Provenance: Lady Florence Balfour (engraved label in vol. XIII); unidentified bookplate, possibly of Balfour family, in all volumes.

FIRST EDITION of this long-running botanical periodical, with the first issue of volume I. The hand-coloured plates depict a wide variety of flowers; there are also four lithographic plates of garden designs, printed in colour, and an uncoloured plate of garden ornaments, in volumes IV and V, as well as an uncoloured plate of the "Emperor Fountain" at Chatsworth in volume XI. The magazine was issued in monthly parts, with 12 making up one volume. These fifteen volumes collate as those in Stafleu, who, with 24 plates in volume XVI (not present here), has a total of 723 plates, but notes that "The copies do not always have all the plates: we are not certain that 723 is the exact number of plates issued". Stafleu and Cowan 7554; Nissen BBI 2351; Great Flower Books p. 85 (both requiring 768 plates); the lot sold not subject to return. (15)

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