A beautifully presented 1949 botanical book with a striking mid century dust jacket and a wonderful collection of colour plates, photographic plates and botanical drawings by Doris Meyer.
Published by Adam & Charles Black in 1949, Introduction to Wild Flowers by Richard Morse is both a useful botanical reference and an exceptionally attractive book to display. Its handsome proportions, rich colour and original dust jacket give it a particularly appealing presence on a bookshelf.
The dust jacket is especially striking, with its bold graphic design attributed to British designer and illustrator Cecil Walter Bacon, whose distinctive mid century work included designs for London Transport and the BBC. His initials, CWB, can be seen at the bottom of the jacket, adding an interesting detail for anyone drawn to British graphic design and illustration.
Inside, the book brings together detailed botanical entries with an impressive selection of illustrations by Doris Meyer. There are 16 colour plates, 32 plates from photographs and 16 plates from drawings, creating a varied and beautifully produced introduction to the wild flowers of Britain. The colour plates in particular bring the botanical subjects to life with a wonderful richness of detail.
The combination of natural history, botanical illustration and striking mid century graphic design makes this much more than a straightforward reference book. The original dust jacket adds another layer of visual interest, while Doris Meyer’s illustrations make the contents a pleasure to look through.
A particularly handsome piece of post war British publishing, bringing together wild flowers, botanical illustration and the distinctive visual language of the 1940s.
Details
Type: Botanical reference book
Title: Introduction to Wild Flowers
Author: Richard Morse
Publisher: Adam & Charles Black
Publication year: 1949
Dust jacket: Original
Illustrator: Doris Meyer
Dust jacket designer: Cecil Walter Bacon
Illustrations: 16 colour plates, 32 photographic plates and 16 plates from drawings
Dimensions
Height: 22 cm
Width: 15 cm
Depth: 3 cm
Condition
Good vintage condition overall. The pages are clean and free from rips or tears. The original dust jacket shows minor age related wear and tear, including two small tears to the top of the front cover.
Please study the photographs carefully as they form part of the description.
Shipping
UK orders are carefully packed and sent by Royal Mail Tracked 48, with tracking provided so you can follow your parcel from dispatch to delivery.
All orders are carefully packed in Surrey to help ensure your purchase arrives safely
