F. Edward Hulme - Familiar Garden Flowers (Complete Five Volumes With 200 Colour Plates) - 1879

Handsome and Complete Set with 200 Beautiful Botanical Coloured Plates

Fin binding and two large books. The first book contains the volume I, II, and the second book contains the volume III, IV, and V. Five volumes, series 1 to series 5 inclusive. Described by Shirley Hibberd. Each series with 160 pages, however, the last series has an extra 7 pages of ‘Index of English Names’, ‘Index of Botanical Names’, and ‘Index of Botanical Orders’.

Each series has forty colour plates, more like finished paintings, printed on thick paper. Several black and white in-text illustrations. Illustrated capital letter to each chapter head. The quality and charm of the plates together with a more than usually informative letterpress made the work an immediate success and it was several times reissued in various formats.

Published by Cassell And Company, Limited, London, c1879. Publishers’ original matching volumes in half leather with marbled boards, the spines has six compartments with raised bands, gilt lettering within dark brown labels to second compartments. Top page edges gilt.

Book Dimensions: 20 x 14 and Number of Pages (5 Series): 807
Nice publication with weight over 2 kg without packaging

Condition
The books are beautifully bound, designed, and illustrated. Firm and well-bound. External covers in nice shape, and with some scuffing to the leather, and light wear to corners, and spine ends. Internally; in very good condition indeed. No names or inscriptions. Two pieces of old newspaper about flowers are inserted on the first blank page of first book. Inner hinges are very good, and pages are tightly held at the gutter. Pages are clean with occasional spotting marks on few pages. The plates are bright and in very nice condition (Lovely Collectible Set) (Please see pictures).

Frederick Edward Hulme
"Frederick Edward Hulme (1841-1909), naturalist and artist, was born in Staffordshire England, the son of Frederick William Hulme, a landscape painter. In 1870 he was appointed art and drawing master at Marlborough College, which was around the time he published Familiar Wild Flowers, his best known work. Familiar Garden Flowers was published later in his career, and the plates reveal the same level of skill and beauty exhibited in his earlier works."