Supplementus Primum Prodromi Florae Novae Hollandiae, Exhibens Proteaceas Novas quas in Australasia legerunt DD. Baxter, Caley, Cunningham, Fraser et Sieber; et quarum e siccis exemplaribus characteres elaboravit Robertus Brown
Londini [London], Typis Ricardi Taylor [Richard Taylor], 1830.
Octavo, 40 pages.
Later papered boards, retaining the original plain paper wrappers; early library stamps to the front wrapper and three pages (but see below); front wrapper with an early manuscript title in ink, and with a repaired split near the gutter; a few other minor signs of age and handling; a very good copy.
A presention copy, inscribed 'For Monsr. Desfontaines, from the Author'. The recipient is undoubtedly René Louiche Desfontaines (1750-1833), botanist and several times director of the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris. Later provenance: Prince Roland Napoléon Bonaparte (1858-1924), French geographer and botanist, with a posthumous collection plate and likely acquisition details ('Le Chevelin | 2d Septembre 1908 | avec le Prodromus'). Bonaparte's library was dispersed, but his herbarium was transferred to the Faculté de sciences de Lyon, which accounts for that institution's later library stamps in this item. 'Memorable works on Flinders's voyage were published by two scientific members of the expedition: the naturalist Robert Brown and the natural history artist Ferdinand Bauer. After the shipwreck of the "Porpoise" in 1803 both Brown and Bauer decided to remain in Australia. After spending two years collecting specimens in Van Diemen's Land, Port Phillip, and New South Wales, Brown left the colony in 1805 aboard the newly-repaired "Investigator". In 1810 he published in London a famous work, described by his distinguished contemporary Sir William Hooker as "the greatest botanical work that has ever appeared". It is an octavo volume, written in Latin, entitled "Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van-Diemen ... Vol. I.". Only the first volume was published, probably because the book was not a commercial success. It is said that of the 250 copies of the first edition that were printed only twenty-six copies were sold. Brown removed the remainder from the market and from then on copies were only available from the author. In 1830 Brown published in London a short octavo volume of 40 pages to supplement the 1810 volume, "Supplementum primum Prodromi Florae Novae Hollandiae". Brown's "Prodromus" and its supplement are of greater interest to collectors of natural history books than to collectors of coastal voyages. Nevertheless, they make an interesting addition to a collection of Flinders material' (Wantrup, page 190). Wantrup 71; Ferguson 1329.
Item #144039
Price (AUD):
$5,000.00