Books

The work that established binomial nomenclature and the naming of plants, by Swedish botanist and taxonomist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778). This edition in four volumes produced under the direction of Karl Ludwig Willdenow (1765-1812), German botanist, taxonomist, and the director of the Berlin Botanical Garden. Four volumes across eight physical books, complete. Volume one (1797), books 1-2; volume two (1799), books 3-4; volume three (1800), books 5-7; volume 4 (1805), book 8. Brown half-leather and papered boards, with gilt titling and five raised bands at spines; moderate edgewear, including frayed edges and corners; leather cracked at spines; minor loss to spine heads of books one, six, and seven. Spines square. Front hinge cracked through at book one, with exposed threads holding; outer hinges of book eight starting; both else intact, and all other bindings sound. Possibly an early rebind - endsheets are not contemporary to pages, but do not appear modern. Minor insect damage to books six through eight as follows: [six] - a small line (1/2-inch) of tiny dots of insect damage to bottom margin throughout, with no loss to text; [seven] - a short thin line (about 1-inch) of insect damage near the bottom fore-edge corner of the first few pages, repaired; no loss to text; and [eight] - less than one inch insect damage at lower gutter through the first 260 pages, and less than a half-inch insect damage to the lower fore-edge corner through 448 pages, with both instances decreasing steadily through the pages and no loss to text. Top of textblock edges a little dusty; decorative red speckled edges; pages lightly toned and foxed. Sellers's notes in pencil at front paste down of book one, with short notes on the author penned at fly leaf. Interiors else clean and free of markings. Inquiries welcome. Photographs available upon request.

Published in 1753, 'Species Plantarum' is Carl Linnaeus's landmark work, which is the basis for the binomial nomenclature system used in the naming of plants.