eBotanical Prints – July 2024

Twenty more books were added to my botanical print book collection in July - available for browsing on Internet Archive and the New York Public Library Digital Collection. I discovered the NYPL Digital Collection back in June and in July 15 of the 20 volumes are from that site! It is not as easy to access the multi-volume books (i.e. the multiple volumes in the list are accessed with the single link and there doesn’t appear to be a quick way to reposition to the beginning of each volume).

The whole list of 2,923 botanical eBooks can be accessed here. Click on any sample images below to get an enlarged version…and the title hyperlink in the list below the image mosaic to view the entire volume.

Enjoy the July 2024 eBotanical Prints!

The Herefordshire pomona, containing coloured figures and descriptions of the most esteemed kinds of apples and pears V1  * Bull, Henry Graves; Hogg, Robert; Bull, Edith G; Ellis, Alice B *

sample image * 1885

The Herefordshire pomona, containing coloured figures and descriptions of the most esteemed kinds of apples and pears V2 * Bull, Henry Graves; Hogg, Robert; Bull, Edith G; Ellis, Alice B * sample image * 1885

Pomona Herefordiensis : containing coloured engravings of the old Cider and Perry Fruits of Herefordshire * Knight, Thomas Andrew   *sample image * 1811

Traite des arbres fruitiers V1 * Duhamel du Monceau, Henri-Louis*sample image * 1768

Traite des arbres fruitiers V2 * Duhamel du Monceau, Henri-Louis*sample image * 1768

Traité des arbres et arbustes que l'on cultive en France en pleine terre V1 * Duhamel du Monceau, Henri-Louis; Redoute, Pierre Joseph (artist)*sample image * 1819

Traité des arbres et arbustes que l'on cultive en France en pleine terre V2 (page 63) * Duhamel du Monceau, Henri-Louis; Redoute, Pierre Joseph (artist)*sample image * 1819

Traité des arbres et arbustes que l'on cultive en France en pleine terre V3 (page 135) * Duhamel du Monceau, Henri-Louis; Redoute, Pierre Joseph (artist)*sample image * 1819

Traité des arbres et arbustes que l'on cultive en France en pleine terre V4 (page 193) * Duhamel du Monceau, Henri-Louis; Redoute, Pierre Joseph (artist)*sample image * 1819

Traité des arbres et arbustes que l'on cultive en France en pleine terre V5 (page 263) * Duhamel du Monceau, Henri-Louis; Redoute, Pierre Joseph (artist)*sample image * 1819

Traité des arbres et arbustes que l'on cultive en France en pleine terre V6 (page 349) * Duhamel du Monceau, Henri-Louis; Redoute, Pierre Joseph (artist)*sample image * 1819

Traité des arbres et arbustes que l'on cultive en France en pleine terre V7 (page 431) * Duhamel du Monceau, Henri-Louis; Redoute, Pierre Joseph (artist)*sample image * 1819

La botanique mise à la porteé de tout le monde - Tome 1 * Regnault, Nicolas-François*sample image * 1774

La botanique mise à la porteé de tout le monde - Tome 2 (page 161) * Regnault, Nicolas-François*sample image * 1774

La botanique mise à la porteé de tout le monde - Tome 3 (page 311) * Regnault, Nicolas-François*sample image * 1774

Hortus Romanus juxta systems Tournefortianum paulo V1 * Bonelli, Giorgio(Author); Martelli, Niccoló(Editor); Sabbati, Constantino (Author);  Sabbati, Liberato (Author)*sample image * 1772

Hortus Romanus juxta systems Tournefortianum paulo V2 (page 105) * Bonelli, Giorgio(Author); Martelli, Niccoló(Editor); Sabbati, Constantino (Author);  Sabbati, Liberato (Author)*sample image * 1774

Hortus Romanus juxta systems Tournefortianum paulo V3 (page 207) * Bonelli, Giorgio(Author); Martelli, Niccoló(Editor); Sabbati, Constantino (Author);  Sabbati, Liberato (Author)*sample image * 1775

Hortus Romanus juxta systems Tournefortianum paulo V4 (page 309) * Bonelli, Giorgio(Author); Martelli, Niccoló(Editor); Sabbati, Constantino (Author);  Sabbati, Liberato (Author)*sample image * 1776

Hortus Romanus juxta systems Tournefortianum paulo V5 (page 411) * Bonelli, Giorgio(Author); Martelli, Niccoló(Editor); Sabbati, Constantino (Author);  Sabbati, Liberato (Author)*sample image * 1778

Indian Architecture in 1896

Syad Muhammad Latif’s book with descriptions and drawings of historical buildings of Agra (including the Taj Mahal) as they were in the 1890s is the ‘book of the week.’  The drawings were the high point for me; I’ve included four samples in this post with many more to be viewed by following the link to the book on Internet Archive. Most of the drawings are the exterior of structures but there are also a few interiors.

Agra historical & descriptive with an account of Akbar and his court and of the modern city of Agra

eBotanical Prints – June 2024

Twenty more books were added to my botanical print book collection in June - available for browsing on Internet Archive (and the new-to-me New York Public Library Digital Collection where I found Pomona Britannica). The whole list of 2,903 botanical eBooks can be accessed here. Click on any sample images to get an enlarged version…and the title hyperlink to view the entire volume.

So many botanical print books available…and so beautiful. I’ve stopped thinking that I am about to run out of books. It seems likely that finding 20 that I haven’t seen before to share every month won’t be ending anytime soon.  Enjoy the June 2024 eBotanical Prints!

Wildflowers * Blanchan, Neltje; Dickinson, Asa Don (adaptor) * sample image * 1926

Pomona Britannica * Brooksaw, George * sample image * 1812

Annales d'horticulture et de botanique V1 * Socit royal d'horticulture des Pays-Bas * sample image * 1858

Annales d'horticulture et de botanique V5 * Socit royal d'horticulture des Pays-Bas * sample image * 1862

Annales de la Société royale d'agriculture et de botanique de Gand V1, 1845 * Morren, Charles (editor) * sample image * 1845

Annales de la Société royale d'agriculture et de botanique de Gand V2, 1846 * Morren, Charles (editor) * sample image * 1846

Annales de la Société royale d'agriculture et de botanique de Gand V3, 1847 * Morren, Charles (editor) * sample image * 1847

Annales de la Société royale d'agriculture et de botanique de Gand V4, 1848 * Morren, Charles (editor) * sample image * 1848

Annales de la Société royale d'agriculture et de botanique de Gand V5, 1849 * Morren, Charles (editor) * sample image * 1849

Fuchsia * Morren, Charles; Fusch, Remaclus * sample image * 1850

Lobelia * Morren, Charles * sample image * 1851

Pear Growing in California * Weldon, George Percival * sample image * 1918

Icones plantarum novarum vel imperfecte cognitarum floram Rossicam V 1-2 * Ledebour, Carl Friedrich von * sample image * 1830

Icones plantarum novarum vel imperfecte cognitarum floram Rossicam V 3-4 * Ledebour, Carl Friedrich von * sample image * 1833

Icones plantarum novarum vel imperfecte cognitarum floram Rossicam V 5 * Ledebour, Carl Friedrich von * sample image * 1834

Icones Plantarum V1 * Hooker, William Jackson * sample image * 1837

Icones Plantarum V2 * Hooker, William Jackson * sample image * 1837

Icones Plantarum V3 * Hooker, William Jackson * sample image * 1840

Icones Plantarum V6 * Hooker, William Jackson * sample image * 1843

Icones Plantarum V30 * Hooker, Joseph Dalton; Hooker, William Jackson * sample image * 1913

Restoring Ancient Bronzes eBook

Henry W. Nichols’ Restoration of ancient bronzes and cure of malignant patina was published in 1930 and documents the process used by Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History to restore ancient Egyptian bronzes (and some from Mesopotamia too) in their collection. They used the Fink electrochemical process which was inaugurated by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The author was the curator with a geology and chemistry background responsible for the work on a total of 360 bronzes from 1926 to 1929. The before and after images contained in the book are dramatic. The book is available from Internet Archive.

 Restoration of ancient bronzes and cure of malignant patina

Bird Homes

Arthur Radclyffe Dugmore published his Bird Homes book in 1902. It is illustrated with his photographs of nests and young birds – one of the earliest books on the topic with photographic illustrations. The book was published in the same year that he was elected to The Camera Club of New York and was noticed by Alfred Stieglitz (according to the Wikipedia article). The book is well worth browsing on Internet Archive. (There are also other books by this author available on Internet Archive.)

Bird Homes: The Nests Eggs and Breeding Habits of The Land Birds Breeding in the Eastern United States

 I was curious about what happened to Dugmore later in his life. He lived to 1955 but didn’t publish after 1930. I found an article about him from the Boone and Crocket Club but it didn’t document that period of his life either. Perhaps the gas injury from the trenches of World War I incapacitated him later in his life or maybe he decided that The Autobiography of a Wanderer (his book published in 1930) was a good finale.

Ships eBook from the late 1920s

Cecil J. Allen and John R. Hind’s My Book of Ships was published in 1928 in London – well after the Titanic sank in 1912. It is interesting that the Titanic is not mentioned in the book although page 47 is damaged (it appears that half a page was cut out) and is in the chapter about wrecks and salvage.

The book is illustrated with photographs and color illustrations. It is all history now but at the time it was published it was a little history but focuses on the state of the art for ships. It is well worth browsing!

My book of ships: their building and the wonders of navigation; illustrated and described for children

eBontanical Prints – May 2024

Twenty-one more books were added to the botanical print collection in May - available for browsing on Internet Archive. The whole list of 2,883 botanical eBooks can be accessed here. Click on any sample images to get an enlarged version…and the title hyperlink to view the entire volume on Internet Archive. Enjoy the May 2024 eBotanical Prints!

The set is unusual because the oldest book was published in 1928. Most months the books are from earlier decades/centuries. Another aspect that is unusual is that 19 of the books are from the same source (American Plant Life Society) and published over many years (1938 – 2006).

The Marine Algae of Florida with special reference to the Dry Tortugas * Taylor, William Randolph * sample image * 1928

The American species of Crepis, their interrelationships and distribution as affected by polyploidy and apomixis * Babcock, Ernest Brown * sample image * 1938

Herbertia V 1-5 (1934-1938) * American Amaryllis Society * sample image * 1938

Herbertia V 6-10 (1939-1943) * American Amaryllis Society * sample image * 1943

Herbertia V 40 (1984) * American Plant Life Society * sample image * 1943

Herbertia V 41 (1985) * American Plant Life Society * sample image * 1985

Herbertia V 42 (1986) * American Plant Life Society * sample image * 1986

Herbertia V 43 N1 (1986) * American Plant Life Society * sample image * 1987

Herbertia V 43 N2 (1987) * American Plant Life Society * sample image * 1987

Herbertia V 44 N1 (1988) * American Plant Life Society * sample image * 1987

Herbertia V 46 N1-2 (1990) * American Plant Life Society * sample image * 1990

Herbertia V 47 (1991) * American Plant Life Society * sample image * 1991

Herbertia V 48 (1992) * American Plant Life Society * sample image * 1992

Herbertia V 49 (1993) * American Plant Life Society * sample image * 1993

Herbertia V 50 (1994-1995) * American Plant Life Society * sample image * 1995

Herbertia V 51 (1996) * American Plant Life Society * sample image * 1996

Herbertia V 52 (1997) * American Plant Life Society * sample image * 1997

Herbertia V 53 (1998) * American Plant Life Society * sample image * 1998

Herbertia V 54 (1999) * American Plant Life Society * sample image * 1999

Herbertia V 59 (2004-2005) * American Plant Life Society * sample image * 2005

Herbertia V 60 (2005-2006) * American Plant Life Society * sample image * 2006

Fine Art History (collection on Internet Archive)

This ‘book of the week’ post features a collection found on Internet Archive that includes slideshow collections of art works from artists around the world and different time periods. There is a lot to browse in this collection and I will probably feature it again from time to time since I enjoy the images and learning about the artists. I have chosen 20 for this post…hopefully the sample images will provide enough of an incentive to look at these artists and the rest of the collection. Enjoy!

Fernand Léger (1881 - 1955)

John Hoyland (1934 - 2011)

Korean Art History eBooks

Internet Archive had 14 of the 15 volumes of the Chōsen koseki zufu – published beginning in 1915 in Japanese and full of illustrations of Korean antiquities. It was the result of the Japanese work to systemically organize and investigate cultural assets and sites throughout the Korean Peninsula after they annexed the country in 1910.

Most of what I know about Korea is in the context of the Korean War of the 1950s and, more recently, the products from South Korea that are exported to the U.S. These books enlarged my understanding of the deep history of the country via the pictures (although I probably would have gotten even more from the books if I could read Japanese!). I have selected a sample image from each volume…but there are many more in the books…well worth the time to browse.

Volume I. Sites of excavations, pottery, bronzes, inscription on stone, ancient metallic mirrors, etc. Chōsen koseki zufu V1

Volume II. Continuation of first volume, frescoes and other details of paintings from the tombs. Chōsen koseki zufu V2

 Volume III. Photographs and plans of sites excavated details of sculpture, beads, smaller bronzes etc. Chōsen koseki zufu V3

 Volume IV. Antiquities of the Silla period in Korea. Chōsen koseki zufu V4

 Volume V. Continuation of Volume IV (not on Internet Archive)

Volume VI. Antiquities of Koryo period. Chōsen koseki zufu V6

 Volume VII. Continuation of Volume VI. Chōsen koseki zufu V7

 Volume VIII. Pottery. Chōsen koseki zufu V8

 Volume IX. Metallic mirrors, bronzes, jewelry, household utensils. Chōsen koseki zufu V9

 Volume X. Temple architecture, including some details of decoration. Chōsen koseki zufu V10

 Volume XI. Continuation of preceding volume, sculpture. 1951. Chōsen koseki zufu V11

Volume XII. Temple architecture. Chōsen koseki zufu V12

 Volume XIII. Temple architecture. 1933. Chōsen koseki zufu V13

 Volume XIV. Painting. 1934. Chōsen koseki zufu V14

 Volume XV. Pottery. 1935 Chōsen koseki zufu V15

James W. VanStone – anthropologist

There are 16 eBooks in this week’s feature – authored by James. W. VanStone from 1979-1998 while he was Curator of North American Archeology and Ethnology for the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. These books have many illustrations – drawings and photographs – and are well worth browsing to glimpse of the cultures of the northern part of North America. VanStone’s research in the area started in the 1950s and he was a prolific scholar throughout his career. Enjoy the sample images (click on the image to see a larger version)…but there are so many more in the books themselves – all freely available on Internet Archive.

Material culture of the Davis Inlet and Barren Ground Naskapi: the William Duncan Strong collection -1985

The Bruce collection of Eskimo material culture from Kotzebue Sound, Alaska -1980

An ethnographic collection from northern Sakhalin Island -1985

Ingalik contact ecology : an ethnohistory of the lower-middle Yukon, 1790-1935  -1979

The Natural History of British Birds

This week’s eBooks are the 10 volume The Natural History of British Birds by Edward Donovan. They were first published in the late 1700s and are available on Internet Archive. The author did not travel but described and illustrated species based on collections of other naturalists.  It is obvious in some of the illustrations that he never saw the living bird! Still – the illustrations were my motivation to browse the books – thinking about how the numbers of these birds are reduced from when he worked…and how this author’s books are a natural history snapshot of birds (and insects) that were collected/available to him.   

The natural history of British birds V1

The natural history of British birds V2

The natural history of British birds V3

The natural history of British birds V4

The natural history of British birds V5

The natural history of British birds V6

The natural history of British birds V7

The natural history of British birds V8

The natural history of British birds V9

The natural history of British birds V10

eBontanical Prints – April 2024

Twenty more books were added to the botanical print collection in April - available for browsing on Internet Archive. The whole list of 2,862 botanical eBooks can be accessed here. Click on any sample images to get an enlarged version…and the title hyperlink to view the entire volume on Internet Archive. Enjoy the April 2024 eBotanical Prints!

There are two books from the 1500s written by Otto Brunfels – one of the ‘fathers of botany.’ He relied more on his own observations than ancient authors and the woodcuts in his books (done by Hans Weiditz) were also done from life.

Contrafayt Kreèuterbuch * Brunfels, Otto * sample image * 1532

Herbarum vivae eicones * Brunfels, Otto * sample image * 1532

Rembert Dodoens’s Historia frumentorum, leguminum, palustrium et aquatilium herbarum acceorum, quae eo pertinent is also from the 1500s…and he is another ‘father of botany.’

Historia frumentorum, leguminum, palustrium et aquatilium herbarum acceorum, quae eo pertinent * Dodoens, Rembert * sample image * 1566

This month continues the Hortus Malabaricus volumes published in the 1600s that document the varieties and medicinal properties of the flora of the Malabar coast. Note the different scripts/languages that label the plants; they are Latin, Malayalam, Konkani, Arabic, and English.

Hortus Indicus Malabaricus V2 * Reede tot Drakestein, Hendrik van * sample image * 1679

Hortus Indicus Malabaricus V3 * Reede tot Drakestein, Hendrik van * sample image * 1683

Hortus Indicus Malabaricus V4 * Reede tot Drakestein, Hendrik van * sample image * 1683

Hortus Indicus Malabaricus V5 * Reede tot Drakestein, Hendrik van * sample image * 1685

Hortus Indicus Malabaricus V6 * Reede tot Drakestein, Hendrik van * sample image * 1686

Hortus Indicus Malabaricus V7 * Reede tot Drakestein, Hendrik van * sample image * 1688

Hortus Indicus Malabaricus V8 * Reede tot Drakestein, Hendrik van * sample image * 1688

Hortus Indicus Malabaricus V9 * Reede tot Drakestein, Hendrik van * sample image * 1689

Hortus Indicus Malabaricus V10 * Reede tot Drakestein, Hendrik van * sample image * 1690

Hortus Indicus Malabaricus V11 * Reede tot Drakestein, Hendrik van * sample image * 1692

Hortus Indicus Malabaricus V12 * Reede tot Drakestein, Hendrik van * sample image * 1703

2 books were from the 1700s that documented plants from Peru and India respectively.

Hortus Peruvanius medicinalis * Petiver, James * sample image * 1715

Icones plantarum incognitarum quas in India Occidentali * Swartz, Olof * sample image * 1794

I found 4 more volumes of Gartenflora that I hadn’t seen before – from 1878 to 1915.

Gartenflora - 1909 (BD 58) * Regel, Eduard (editor) * sample image * 1909

Gartenflora - 1915 (BD 64) * Regel, Eduard (editor) * sample image * 1915

Gartenflora - 1912 (BD 61) * Regel, Eduard (editor) * sample image * 1912

Gartenflora - 1878 (BD 27) * Regel, Eduard (editor) * sample image * 1878

Images of Lincoln

Earlier this year, I browsed two books that were full of images of Abraham Lincoln. Photographic technology had progressed enough to leave us a relatively rich group of pictures; we can see him aging over time. There is some overlap in the two books but also unique images. I was surprised at how many of them seemed familiar; these might be some of the most reused images in the world! Both books are available from Internet Archive. (click on images to see a larger version)

Gallery of Famous Lincoln Portraits (1911)

L'art Vietnamien (ebook)

L’art Vietnamien was written by Louis Bezacier, a French archaeologist and art historian. It was published in 1955.

L'art Vietnamien

As I browsed the book, I found myself wanting more illustrations; the ones that were there acted to stimulate my interest but not satisfy it. I also wondered how much of Vietnam’s art history was damaged or destroyed in the battles that followed. The author first began his work in Vietnam in 1935 and published for at least 20 years after that…but this book is the only one that is currently on Internet Archive.

The Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt

W. Stevenson Smith’s The Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt was published in 1958 and is available on Internet Archive. It has 192 black and white plates which are well worth browsing. There are familiar images of Egyptian artifacts/ruins, but the ones I enjoyed the most were either new-to-me or a different view of something familiar.

For example, the different perspective of the Ramses II statue and Tutankhamon’s chair and chariot drew my attention (click on the sample images to see a larger version).

Many statues and smaller items like axe heads were shown large enough to make out details. It is also evident that the author included images of artifacts from many museums.

The architecture of ancient Egyptian sites is shown at locations and via reconstructed versions (models and drawings).

Enjoying browsing the images that are grouped after the text of the book! Research and excavation continue in Egypt so keep in mind the vintage of this book.

eBotanical Prints – March 2024

Twenty more books were added to the botanical print collection in March – available for browsing on Internet Archive. The publication date range for this group is over 400 years: 1569 to 1993 with 4 volumes in the 1500s, 4 volumes in the 1600s, 4 in the 1700s, 1 in the 1800s, and 7 in the 1900s.

The whole list of 2,842 botanical eBooks can be accessed here. The volumes are shown by centuries this month…making it a bit easier to compare the state of the art in botanical print making. Click on any sample images to get an enlarged version…and the title hyperlink to view the entire volume on Internet Archive. Enjoy the March 2024 eBotanical Prints!

The 1500s:

Florum, et coronarianum odoratarumque nonnullarum herbarum historia * Borcht, Petrus van de,; Dodoens, Rembert; Plantin, Christophe * sample image * 1569

Purgantium aliarumque eo facientium, tum et radicum, conuoluulorum ac deleteriarum herbarum historiae * Dodoens, Rembert; Plantin, Christophe * sample image * 1574

Caroli Clusii Atrebat Rariorum alioquot stirpium per Hispanias observatarum historia * Christophorus Plantinus; Clusius, Carolus * sample image * 1576

Caroli Clusii Atrebatis Rariorum aliquot stirpium * Bejthe, Stephan.; Christophori Plantini.; Clusius, Carolus, * sample image * 1583

The 1600s:

Histoire des simples medicamens apportes de l'Amerique, desquels on se sert en la medecine * Colin, Anthoine; Pillehott, Iean; Monardes, Nicolas; Orta, Garcia de * sample image * 1619

Hortus Eystettensis * Besler, Basilius * sample image * 1640

Horti medici amstelodamensis rariorum tam Orientalis quam Occidentalis India * Commelin, Johannes; Blaeu, P. & J;Commelin, Caspar; Kiggelaer, Franz; Moninckx, Johan; Moninckx, Maria; Ruysch, Frederik,1638-1731; Someren, Abraham * sample image * 1697

Hortus Indicus Malabaricus V1 * Reede tot Drakestein, Hendrik van * sample image * 1678

More of this series in April. There are 12 volumes in all. The Wikipedia entry for Hortus Malabaricus says that “it is believed to be one of the earliest printed works on the flora of Asia and the tropics” and is a “cultural storehouse of the incidental sociological situation and social affinities carried by the flora of those times.”

The 1700s:

Hesperidum Norimbergensium, sive, De malorum citreorum, limonum, aurantiorumque * Volkamer, Johann Christoph; Brückmann, Franz Ernst et al * sample image * 1713

Praeludia botanica ad publicas plantarum exoticarum demonstrationes, dicta in horto medico * Commelin, Caspar * sample image * 1715

Herbarium amboinense V5 * Rumpf, Georg Eberhard; Fransicum Changuion * sample image * 1747

Herbarium amboinense V6 * Rumpf, Georg Eberhard; Fransicum Changuion * sample image * 1750

The 1900s:

Etudes et commentaires sur le code de L'Escluse * Clusius, Carolus; Istvanffy, Gyula * sample image * 1900

Studies in American plants, III  * Gibson, Dorothy N. * sample image * 1972

Pteridophyta of Peru - Part I * Tryon, Rolla M.; Stozle, Robert G. * sample image * 1989

Pteridophyta of Peru - Part II * Tryon, Rolla M.; Stozle, Robert G. * sample image * 1989

Pteridophyta of Peru - Part IV * Tryon, Rolla M.; Stozle, Robert G. * sample image * 1991

Pteridophyta of Peru - Part III * Tryon, Rolla M.; Stozle, Robert G. * sample image * 1992

Pteridophyta of Peru - Part V * Tryon, Rolla M.; Stozle, Robert G. * sample image * 1993

Fine Art History (collection on Internet Archive)

This ‘book of the week’ post introduces a collection found on Internet Archive that features slideshow collections of art works from artists from around the world and different time periods. There is a lot to browse in this collection and I will probably feature it again from time to time since I enjoy the images and learning about the artists. I have chosen 5 for this first post…hopefully the sample images will provide enough of an incentive to take a look at these artists and the rest of the collection.

Peter Beard (1938 - 2020)

Arctic Sculpture

The 4 eBooks for this ‘books of the week’ post are from Canadian Arctic Producers Co-operative published in 1980 and include sculpture from Inuit artists in 1979-1980…grouped by village. I enjoyed the figures of the Arctic as a place and culture.

Pangnirtung, recent sculpture

Igloolik, recent sculpture

Clyde River sculpture

Coppermine : Sculpture

 I found these 4 eBooks by accident but recently did a comprehensive search for the publisher and found a lot more books so there are more to browse – which I will do over the coming months! These books are a great way to become more familiar with modern Inuit art. There is a Wikipedia entry for the Co-op too.

Houses of Wealthy in 1880

Alexander Francis Lydon provided the illustrations for Francis Orpen Morris’ 6 volumes that document the great houses of Great Britain and Ireland as they were in 1880. Some of the houses were already old and the families were scrambling to maintain them. Others were benefiting from new wealth from industry or colonies either through marriage or new owners. These are easy books to browse!

A series of picturesque views of seats of the noblemen and gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland. V1, V2, V3, V4, V5, V6

The books are interesting from several historical perspectives. Here are some thoughts these books prompted for me:

They show the publishing technology of the time to produce color illustrations. It was new and expensive…and the publisher folded not long after these books were published.

The weapons of war that would destroy buildings from the air in World War I and World War II had not been invented in 1880. The books include houses that had survived for years because the weapons of war were not sufficient to destroy them in an instant.

Transportation was improving (trains and canals) but travel was still relatively slow, so the wealthy required large county houses for guests that stayed awhile.

The industrial revolution was in full swing, but many wealthy families were still clinging to agricultural streams of income from their lands. Country houses were not just a place to live; they were also the center of the family enterprise.

Lyndon (the illustrator) was not credited on the cover page. Why? He had worked with Morris on several projects before so their collaboration must have been a profitable one for him. He was evidently a successful artist, illustrator and engraver that supported a family with his work.

The author of the text (Morris) was an Anglo-Irish clergyman that had broad interests. He published books about birds and insects and heritage buildings! He was active in the movement to protect birds from the plume trade. His occupation as a vicar must have allowed sufficient free time for him to indulge his wide-ranging interests….and enjoy his family (9 children). He lived a relatively long time (82 years old when he died) and must have enjoyed what he did.

eBotanical Prints – February 2024

Twenty more books were added to the botanical print collection in February – available for browsing on Internet Archive. There are 4 books about medicinal plants, and 2 about Yuccas…but all the books are worth browsing!

The publication date range for this group is over 400 years: 1532 to 1902 with 2 volumes in the 1500s, 4 in the 1700s, 13 in the 1800s, and 1 in the 1900s.

The whole list of 2,822 botanical eBooks can be accessed here. The list for the February 2024 books with links to the volumes and sample images is at the bottom of this post.

Click on any sample images in the mosaic below to get an enlarged version. Enjoy the February 2024 eBotanical Prints!

Flore forestiere illustree arbres et arbustes du centre de l'Europe * Kirkwan, C. de * sample image * 1872

Flore Medicale V1 * Chamberet, Jean Baptist Joseph Anne Cesar Tyrbas de; Chaumeton, Francois Pierre; Panckoucke, C. L. F.; Panckoucke, Ernestine; Poiret, Jean Louis Marie; Turpin, P. J. F. * sample image * 1833

Flore Medicale V2 * Chamberet, Jean Baptist Joseph Anne Cesar Tyrbas de; Chaumeton, Francois Pierre; Panckoucke, C. L. F.; Panckoucke, Ernestine; Poiret, Jean Louis Marie; Turpin, P. J. F. * sample image * 1829

Flore Medicale V3 * Chamberet, Jean Baptist Joseph Anne Cesar Tyrbas de; Chaumeton, Francois Pierre; Panckoucke, C. L. F.; Panckoucke, Ernestine; Poiret, Jean Louis Marie; Turpin, P. J. F. * sample image * 1830

Flore Medicale V4 * Chamberet, Jean Baptist Joseph Anne Cesar Tyrbas de; Chaumeton, Francois Pierre; Panckoucke, C. L. F.; Panckoucke, Ernestine; Poiret, Jean Louis Marie; Turpin, P. J. F. * sample image * 1830

Flore Medicale V5 * Chamberet, Jean Baptist Joseph Anne Cesar Tyrbas de; Chaumeton, Francois Pierre; Panckoucke, C. L. F.; Panckoucke, Ernestine; Poiret, Jean Louis Marie; Turpin, P. J. F. * sample image * 1831

Flore Medicale V6 * Chamberet, Jean Baptist Joseph Anne Cesar Tyrbas de; Chaumeton, Francois Pierre; Panckoucke, C. L. F.; Panckoucke, Ernestine; Poiret, Jean Louis Marie; Turpin, P. J. F. * sample image * 1832

The yucceae * Trelease, William * sample image * 1902

Further studies of Yuccas and their pollination * Trelease, William * sample image * 1893

The species of Rumex occurring north of Mexico * Trelease, William * sample image * 1892

The species of Epilobium occurring north of Mexico * Trelease, William * sample image * 1891

Genera Aroidearum exposita * Schott, H.W. * sample image * 1858

Gesamtbeschreibung der Kakteen (Monographia cactacearum)  * Schumann, Karl; Hischt, Karl * sample image * 1899

Gramineae Chilenses * Desvaux, E. * sample image * 1853

Herbarivm Oth. Brvnfelsii ... exacto tandem studio, opera & ingenio, candidatis medicinae simplicis absolutum * Brunfels, Otto * sample image * 1537

Herbarum vivae eicones ad naturae imitationem * Brunfels, Otto; Herr, Michael; Weiditz, Hans * sample image * 1532

Herbarium amboinense V1 * Rumpf, Georg Eberhard; Fransicum Changuion * sample image * 1742

Herbarium amboinense V2 * Rumpf, Georg Eberhard; Fransicum Changuion * sample image * 1741

Herbarium amboinense V3 * Rumpf, Georg Eberhard; Fransicum Changuion * sample image * 1743

Herbarium amboinense V4 * Rumpf, Georg Eberhard; Fransicum Changuion * sample image * 1743