THE FITZWILLIAM-PLESCH COPY OF DILLENIUS HORTUS ELTHAMENSIS 1732. 2 volumes.

DILLENIUS, JOHANNE JACOBO. Hortus Elthamensis seu Plantarum Rariorum quas in horto suo Elthami in Cantio coluit... Jacobus Sherard... delineationes et descriptiones quarum historia vel plane non, vel imperfecte a rei herbariae scriptoribus tradita fuit. (I)-II. Londini, sumptibus auctoris, 1732

Folio (465 x 278 mm.). (4), V-VIII, 1-206; (2), 207-437, (1) pp. 325 engraved plates by Dillenius (all, some light spotting and offsetting, halftitles harder)
Late 19th century brown half morocco, somewhat worn, spine with red morocco lettering pieces, raised bands in eight compartments, redspeckled edges. Engraved bookplate of Fitzwilliam, red morocco bookplate of Arpad Plesch. 2 volumes.

Ref. Sitwell: Great Flower Books (1990) p.91; Hunt 647 (1774 edition); Nissen BBI 492; Stafleu: TL-2 471; Pritzel 2285*

THE FITZWILLIAM PLESCH COPY. This was the most important work of its time to record the flora of a private garden. This "magnificent" work (Hunt) depicts the botanical exotica in the Eltham gardens owned by the botanist and apothecary, James Sherard (1666-1738). Dillenius drew and engraved the plates, his skill and accuracy such that they 'were sufficiently accurate to be of considerable service to Linnaeus' (Hunt).

Provenance: William Charles, Earl Fitzwilliam (engraved bookplate); Arpad Plesch(1889–1974), Hungarian financier, banker, and lawyer. He owned a celebrated collection of rare botanical books and esoteric pornography. His botanical collection has been included in Douglas Cooper's Great Private Collections.(red morocco book label); purchased from Wheldon and Wesley, 1976, $2,186; The Richard Harris Collection: Natural History & Colourplate Books 13/10 2010; Olle Wallin (1934-2021), economist who began his professional career working for the Swedish commercial bank Svenska Handelsbanken, after which he was employed by the construction company Beijers, working under Anders Wall. His interest in books and nature was inspired by his parents, both avid book collectors and interested in natural history. Wallin began collecting seriously after moving to Stockholm in the 1970's, and frequently visited the many antiquarian book shops as well as attended the auctions. His line of work also required extensive travel, foremost to the European continent and the US, and he usually took the opportunity to combine the business trips with visits to leading antiquarian book sellers and auction houses. Many of the more important and valuable works in his collection were acquired on those occasions.

See text.