The Spirit of the Woods

Lovely copy of Rebecca Hey's charming Victorian book of botanical plates and poetry

With all 26 superb botanical illustrations drawn by the author and engraved on steel by William Clark

The botanical illustrations finished to a very high standard with deep, rich handcolour

A companion to Moral of Flowers, this book covers woodland trees and includes plates of mostly European trees such as the oak, elm, ash, beech, lime, birch, holly, willow, yew, hazel, cherry, cedar, etc. The botanical illustrations include fruit, berries, blossom, leaves, catkins, etc. (A few exotic trees like the fig, banyan, palm and sandal tree are described in the text.)

"A source of great additional interest has been the presentation of the drawings for the illustration of the work, which the author herself has ventured to execute from nature, and which she trusts will be found botanically correct." (from the Preface)

Rebecca Hey (1797-1859) was an English poet and botanical artist. She was born Rebecca Roberts in Leeds, Yorkshire, in 1797, and married apothecary-surgeon William Hey in 1821. Her first book Moral of Flowers, a collection of poems and botanical art, was a success and reprinted several times. She followed it up with a second work Sylvan Musings, 1837, illustrated with her own botanical art, again engraved by William Clark. She wrote two further books of poetry, Recollections of the Lakes 1841 and Holy Places 1859.

Little is known of William Clark who worked as a botanical artist, draughtsman and engraver to the Horticultural Society of London in the 1820s and 1830s. In addition to the botanical plates in Flora Conspicua, he also contributed to Stephenson and Churchill's Medical Botany 1827-31, John Lindley's Pomological Magazine 1828, Robert Sweet's British Flower Garden 1838, and Transactions of the Horticultural Society.

In original green leather with gilt spine, scuffing on hinges and corners, green silk boards with a few marks, ink manuscript dedication "Thomas Fulcher, Oct. 6th 1838, the gift of Mrs. Blanchs" on original yellow endpapers. Interior fresh and bright, no markings, all plates with superb rich handcolour under protective tissue guards, errata slip at front, some slight spotting to front and rear endpapers.