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Silva: or a Discourse of Forest-Trees by John Evelyn
About the Item
Silva: or, a Discourse of Forest-Trees, and the propagation of timber in His Majesty's Dominions; As it was delivered in the Royal Society on the 15th day of October, 1662, upon Occasion of certain Quaeries propounded to that illustrious Assembly, by the Honourable the Principal Officers and Commissioners of the Navy, together with an Historical Account of the Sacredness and Use of Standing Groves
York: A. Ward for J. Dodsley, 1776. – First Hunter edition.
4to, 11 3/4 x 9 1/4 inches (300 x 235 mm) frontis., title, dedication, (48), 649, table, index (9) pp. printed on handmade laid paper. Engraved portrait of Evelyn by Bartolozzi on frontispiece, 40 engraved plates, including 1 folding one plate of the Cawthorpe Oak, folding table; light offsetting and spotting. Contemporary brown diced calf, gilt turn ins, marbled endpapers; losses to spine and labels chipped, hinges reinforced, light edge wear, offset on pages facing illustrations; top edge stained black, others marbled. Previous owners' names penned on first free flyleaf.
[Henrey pp. 110-111; Pritzer 2766; ESTC T123233].
A beautiful and important volume of early arboriculture, beautifully illustrated by John Evelyn who is often remembered as Britain's first environmentalist. The work was first presented in 1662 as a paper to the Royal Society in an effort to address the problem of the fast disappearing forests and woodlands of England. Two years later it was published as a book and "was a success from the start. Its publication gave a great stimulus to planting in Britain, Charles II setting the example with the replenishing of the Royal forests.... Arboriculture was an endless source of interest and delight to Evelyn. Throughout his life he was constantly adding to his knowledge on the subject, from his own experience in the planting of trees, from observations made during his travels at home and abroad, and from other men's writings. From 1664 until 1706 Evelyn published four editions of Sylva and on each occasion the work was expanded. It contains an enormous amount of information concerning the cultivation of the various kinds of forest trees, and the uses of their timber, together with facts and anecdotes obtained from the books, both classical and contemporary.
Seventy years after Evelyn’s death a new edition of Sylva was published, with extensive notes by Dr. Alexander Hunter of York. Four further editions of this were issued in 1786, 1801, 1812, and 1825 respectively. Hunter’s edition of Sylva (spelt Silva), a handsome quarto volume with extensive notes to bring it up to date and illustrated with a number of whole page engravings, was published by private subscription, and the long list of several hundreds of subscribers indicates the wide interest in the work by persons and institutions." [Henrey, Blanche. British Botanical and Horticultural Literature Before 1800. London: Oxford University Press, 1975; p. 107 ff.]
Alexander Hunter (1729-1809) revised the book in 1776, indicating that "since the first edition of the Silva, in 1664, many improvements have been made in planting, and in every branch of natural knowledge. It, therefore, became my indispensable duty to bring down the improvements to the present time. These make the subject of the Notes, which are drawn from the most respectable authorities" (Hunter, preface).
- Dimensions:Height: 11.82 in (30 cm)Width: 9.26 in (23.5 cm)Depth: 1.58 in (4 cm)
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- Date of Manufacture:1776
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses.
- Seller Location:Middletown, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: BH4241stDibs: LU8340245425442
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