HOOKER SIR JOSEPH DALTON The Rhododendrons of Sikkim Himalay

Sale 2434 - Lot 265

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Estimate: $ 10,000 - $ 15,000

HOOKER, SIR JOSEPH DALTON. The Rhododendrons of Sikkim-Himalaya; Being an Account, Botanical and Geographical of the Rhododendrons Recently Discovered in the Mountains of Eastern Himalaya, from Drawings and Descriptions Made on the Spot. 30 hand-colored lithographed plates by Walter Hood Fitch after Hooker's drawings, descriptive letterpress accompanying each plate. Folio, 19 1/2x14 1/4 inches, expertly bound to style in full green morocco, gilt. London: Reeve and Co., 1849[-1851]

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A lovely copy of the first edition of this beautifully illustrated work on the Rhododendron family: "An important work for both the botanist and horticulturalist since it contains descriptions and plates of many of the best Rhododendron species...and an account of their discovery" (Great Flower Books). Hooker spent several years exploring Sikkim, as well as parts of Nepal and Tibet, rendering preparatory drawings of these flowers, and sending his field notes to his father in England, Sir William Hooker. The father edited the text for this work and contributed a preface giving an interesting overview of the discovery of the genus by western science. A great many of the species of Rhododendron discovered and described here by Hooker were subsequently successfully introduced to western cultivation. Desmond, The European Discovery of the Indian Flora p.144; Great Flower Books (1990) p.101; Oak Spring Flora 104; Stafleu & Cowan TL2 2969.