Books

thick4to, 29cm, the First Illustrated Edition. [56],649,[9]pp., engraved frontis portrait by Bartolozzi & 40 engraved plates (1 folding), (most of the plates are by John Miller). 1 folding table, rebound in contemporary style half brown calf, blind ruled raised bands, blind stamped center panel decorations, gilt spine titles, in the original marbled boards, with the armorial engraved book plate also signed above "Thomas Carill Worsley", one of the subscribers*, some occasional light foxing and some light transfer (less than usual), a fine copy. (cgc). Sylva was first published 1664 and the spelling of the title by 1706 became Silva. Henrey. British Botanical and Horticultural Literature before 1800: 137. Keynes 47. Freeman 1152. Nissen BBI 615. Pritzel 2766. Evelyn, who was born in 1620 and who died in 1706, managed to keep on the right side of both the royalists and the puritans during the Civil War. A virtuoso' (D.N.B.) who had many interests, he counted among his friends Robert Boyle, John Wilkins, Bishop of Chester, and Samuel Pepys. "Evelyn is the typical instance of the accomplished and public-spirited country gentleman of the Restoration, a pious and devoted member of the church of England, and a staunch loyalist in spite of his grave disapproval of the manners of the court. " - (D.N.B. XVIII, pp. 79~83) First published in 1664, this is the first edition prepared by Dr. A[lexander] Hunter of York (1 729-1809) who greatly expanded the work, adding erudite comments, annotations and references to other experts in the field, including Linaeus, Kalm, etc. *The provenance of the work is notable. The Cargill-Worsleys of Platt Hall, Manchester, Derbyshire were descendants of Charles Worsley, staunch Parliamentarian leader during the Civil War, and friend and confidant of Oliver Cromwell. John Carill Worsley is listed as a subscriber, and the bookplate and signature are of Thomas Carill Worsley (1739-1808). Charles Carill Worsley (1800-1864), another member of the family, had correspondence with Charles Darwin (Cambridge University Library Archives), and married Mary Jane Darwin (I817-I872), daughter of Francis Satcheverel Darwin. Family members were active in the Manchester Botanical and Horticultural Society of Manchester well into the twentieth century, and ninety acres of their property were sold to the city in I908 as a foundation for a large public park. The first illustrated edition of an important work, with an equally important provenance.