[NATURAL HISTORY]. THORNTON, Robert John (1768-1837). The Philosophy of Botany. London: T. Bensley for the publishers, White, Johnson and Co. ...and the author, [1799?]-1810.

4 volumes, folio (470 x 330 mm). Engraved calligraphic general title in vol. I: "The Philosophy of Botany, being Botanical, and Philosophical Extracts".

Comprising:
Volumes I-II: Botanical Extracts or Philosophy of Botany. London: T. Bensley for the publishers, White, Johnson and Co. ...and the author, 1810. Calligraphic title in vol. I, 2 letterpress titles with mounted woodcut allegorical vignettes by Branston after Thurston on india paper; 2 engraved plates of double-portraits by Caldwell after Opie and David depicting Priestley/Lavoisier and Mayow/Evelyn and one aquatint botanical plate by Warner after Henderson.

Volume III: Elementary Botanical Plates... Intended to Illustrate Botanical Extracts. London: T. Bensley for the publishers, White, Johnson and Co. ...and the author, 1810. Letterpress title; engraved allegorical frontispiece by Ridley after Russell and Opie, 27 engraved portraits, one engraved view, and 75 engraved, mezzotint, and aquatint plates of botanical, scientific, and other subjects (3 double-page).

Vol. IV. [A New Illustration of the Sexual System of Linnaeus. London: T. Bensley, 1799?]. Lacking calligraphic title; engraved frontispiece by Bartolozzi and Landseer after Reinagle, 86 engraved, mezzotint, and aquatint botanical plates (2 folding, 2 double-page). (Marginal toning, light spotting throughout, several plates trimmed close, dampstain to vol. IV frontispiece at upper gutter).

Contemporary diced russia gilt, covers with three broad framed borders alternating in various tools containing palmettes, fillets, and foliates, spines in 7 compartments with 6 double spines, gilt-lettering in 3, others with ornately tooled centerpieces gilt, all edges gilt (light rubbing to extremities).

FIRST EDITION, EARLY ISSUE, without the words "including" on the engraved title-pages. Although there is some disagreement amongst bibliographers (Stafleu calls it "a "bibliographer's nightmare", as few copies are alike), the three components of this work are properly known together under the title The Philosophy of Botany and were issued as such. Cleveland Collections 744; Nissen BBI 1956; Pritzel 9235; Stafleu & Cowan TL2 14284-14285.

Property from the Estate of Peter Fortsas

[NATURAL HISTORY]. THORNTON, Robert John (1768-1837). The Philosophy of Botany. London: T. Bensley for the publishers, White, Johnson and Co. ...and the author, [1799?]-1810.