FLORA HERSCHELIANA

Sir John and Lady Herschel at the Cape 1834 to 1838.

The Brenthurst Press, Third Series number 2, De Luxe Edition: 296 pages, colour frontispiece, 208 plates and illustrations - mostly in colour, half blue morocco gilt, marbled boards, contained in a marbled paper and leather slip case.

‘Sir John Herschel (1792 – 1871), son of Sir William Herschel, the discoverer of the planet Uranus, has long been recognized and one of Britain’s greatest nineteenth-century scientists. His accomplishments in astronomy, mathematics and physics are well known, but this publication focuses on his private interest in botanical matters. A visit to the Cape of Good Hope from 1834 to 1838 to survey the southern skies exposed Herschel to another great natural wonder - the beauty and diversity of the Cape Flora. The profound impact this encounter had on both John and his wife Margaret resulted in a magnificent portfolio of botanical drawings (outlined by John using a camera lucida for scientific accuracy, and painted in watercolours by Margaret), most of which are reproduced in the volume. Herschel’s restless analytical mind also led him to consider deeper issues, among them the morphology of bulbs, the diversity of species (before Darwin’s Origin of Species) and botanical scents and perfumes. The book includes unpublished paintings by other artists such as Charles Bell and Thomas Bowler, and is a celebration of the Herschels’ fascination with the abundant beauty they discovered on the doorstep of Feldhausen, their home in the Cape.’ Editor’s note.

150 De Luxe copies bound in half leather numbered 1–150. This copy is number 104.