Beschreibung:

Original green wrapper with pink printed label for Part One and half-title for Part Three bound in at front, engraved title on two leaves (one leaf with engraved vignette by Tomkins after Burney), dedication, contents leaf and subtitle. Illustration: Color-printed frontispiece portrait of Linnæus by H. Meyer after Hoffman and Bartolozzi, uncolored plate of "The Universal Power of Love" by Cordon after Kirke, 2 mezzotint versions of "Linnæus in His Lapland Dress" after Hoffmann (one by Kingsbury printed in sepia and finished by hand; the other by Dunkarton printed in black), 3 very fine colored stipple-engraved plates of allegorical subjects after Russell & Opie, Cosway, and Reinagle, uncolored engraved portrait of Queen Charlotte by Bartolozzi after Beechy, and 29 superb botanical plates employing aquatint, mezzotint, stipple engraving, and etching, printed in colors and finished by hand, some heightened with gum arabic. Broadsheets (22 3/4 x 17 1/2 in.; 578 x 445 mm). Binding: Contemporary diced russia, spine elaborately gilt-tooled in seven compartments, covers with acanthus-tooled gilt borders, central panels with gilt floral corner-pieces. Bound-in wrapper somewhat darkened, marginal soiling to frontispiece, some minor thumb-soiling and spotting in margins of some plates, occasional offsetting to text. Binding with neat restoration to spine, some rubbing and wear, few gouges on lower cover, endpapers renewed.