Michaux Sylva

MICHAUX, Francois-Andre (1770-1855): The North American Sylva, or a description of forest trees, of the United States, Canada, and Nova Scotia, considered particularly with respect to their use in the Arts, and their introduction into Commerce [Translated by Augustus L. Hillhouse]

Paris: Printed by C. D'Hautel, 1819. 2 volumes, 8vo. (9 15/16 x 6 1/8 inches). 156 hand-coloured stipple-engravings after P.J. Redoute (27), P. Bessa (92) and others by Gabriel (108), Bessin (16) and others. Expertly bound to style in contemporary French red straight-grained morocco over contemporary red glazed paper-covered boards, the flat spines divided into six compartments with a gilt fillet flanked by a roll tool, lettered in gilt in the second and third compartments, g.e. A fine set of MacPhail's third issue of Michaux's masterpiece and a classic of American natural history. This publication is the most important work relating to American trees published in the 19th century, written by one of the greatest naturalists to work in America. Michaux's work is based on his and his father's extensive travels in the eastern half of America from the 1790s on. Both men were friendly with Jefferson and other leading figures, who aided them in their work and travels. The letterpress for this edition was printed in Paris, as were the engraved plates. The text was printed by C. D'Hautel, the plates were executed by the engraver Gabriel and others after original drawings by the great French botanical artist Pierre- Joseph Redoute, and his associate Pancrace Bessa. The beautifully- executed plates illustrate leaves and nuts or berries of American trees across the entire continent, and are printed from the same plates as the images in the first issue. The sheets of the first reprint of the work were destroyed by fire, but the copper plates were separately stored and thus survived to be employed in a later combined edition issued by Rice and Hart of Philadelphia. The main difference between the first issue and the present set is that the pagination is in two volumes instead of the original three, and some of the plate numbers have been corrected. Of the present issue, translated from the French by Augustus L. Hillhouse, Sabin says "Of the various editions with the text in English this, notwithstanding some typographical errors, is the best." Hillhouse's translation was shorter than the translation for the 1817 edition of the first volume, and therefore page 112 in the first volume of this set is numbered 112-136 in order to maintain the pagination of the succeeding section. Thomas Nuttall later continued the work begun by Michaux, and of the combined work of both men Sabin states: "It is no exaggeration to remark that it is the most complete work of its kind, and is a production of unrivalled interest and beauty." Bennett, p.76; MacPhail Andre & Francois-Andre Michaux 17c; Meisel III, pp.379-81; cf. Oak Spring Sylva 20; Sabin 48694; cf. Savage, Andre and Francois Andre Michaux (Charlottesville, 1986); Stafleu & Cowan 5962.

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MICHAUX, Francois-Andre (1770-1855): The North American Sylva, or a description of forest trees, of the United States, Canada, and Nova Scotia, considered particularly with respect to their use in the Arts, and their introduction into Commerce [Translated by Augustus L. Hillhouse]

Paris: Printed by C. d'Hautel, 1819. 2 volumes in four (as issued), octavo. (10 1/2 x 6 3/4 inches). 2 half-titles (as issued). 156 hand- finished colour-printed stipple-engraved plates after P.J. Redoute (27), P. Bessa (92) and others by Gabriel (108), Bessin (16) and others. (Text with old dampstaining, the plates less so, but with occasional cockling and small spots). Publisher's yellow paper-covered boards, letterpress paper labels to backstrips, uncut (some fading and neat restoration to backstrips). First edition in English, third issue, of Michaux's masterpiece and a classic of American natural history: the most important work relating to American trees published in the 19th century. Michaux's work is based on his and his father's extensive travels in the eastern half of America from the 1790s on. Both men were friendly with Jefferson and other leading figures, who aided them in their work and travels. The masterwork was first published in parts between 1810 and 1813 as Histoire des arbres forestiers de l'Amerique septentrionale. In 1817, Michaux began work on an English translation, issuing a section of the text on oak trees (believed to have been translated by Michaux himself) with no plates, which was then cancelled (MacPhail 16). When the first edition in English was subsequently issued between 1817 and 1819, the first issue contained the text from the cancelled publication, with the remainder of the text translated by Augustus L. Hillhouse of Connecticut. The subsequent second and third issues contained the entire Hillhouse translation printed in Paris by C. D'Hautel (and with page 112 numbered "112-136" to account for Hillhouse's translation being shorter than the previous). The beautifully-executed images, from the same plates in all three issues, were executed by the engraver Gabriel and others after original drawings by the great French botanical artist Pierre-Joseph Redoute and his associate Pancrace Bessa. This third issue in two volumes is the most complete and accurate, with corrections to plate numbers, signatures and pagination. Of the issues containing the present Hillhouse translation, Sabin writes: "Of the various editions with the text in English this, notwithstanding some typographical errors, is the best." And referring to Michaux's work with Thomas Nuttall's continuation, Sabin continues: "It is no exaggeration to remark that it is the most complete work of its kind, and is a production of unrivalled interest and beauty." Bennett, p.76; MacPhail Andre & Francois-Andre Michaux 17c; Meisel III, pp.379-81; cf. Oak Spring Sylva 20; Sabin 48694; cf. Savage, Andre and Francois Andre Michaux (Charlottesville, 1986); Stafleu & Cowan III, 5962.

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MICHAUX, Francois-Andre (1770-1855) and Thomas NUTTALL (1786-1859): The North American Sylva; or, a description of the forest trees of the United States, Canada, and Nova Scotia,

Philadelphia (Michaux vols.I-III); Philadelphia, London, Paris, [etc.] (Nuttall vols.I-III): Robert P. Smith; Robert P. Smith, R. Baldwin, H. Bossange [and others], 1855. 6 volumes, octavo. (10 3/8 x 6 1/8 inches). 277 hand-coloured plates (comprising: 156 hand-coloured stipple-engravings after P.J. Redoute (27), P. Bessa (92) and others by Gabriel (108), Bessin (16) and others; 121 hand-coloured lithographs after J. Magee, J. Worley and others by T. Sinclair). Contemporary dark green morocco elaborately tooled in gilt, the covers with highly elaborately gilt-tooled borders built up from various arabesque small tools, all surrounding the shaped inset panels, the panels with centrally-tooled gilt naturalistic floral spray, the spines in six compartments with raised bands, lettered in gilt in the second and fourth compartments, the others with repeat tooling in gilt, gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers, gilt edges. A spectacular set of the most important work on American trees prior to the 20th century: "It is no exaggeration to remark that it is the most complete work of its kind, and is a production of unrivalled interest and beauty" (Sabin). Michaux's portion of the work was originally printed in Paris in 1817-19. In 1825, the 156 copperplates were purchased by the geologist William Maclure who brought them to the United States. A first American edition (including Nuttall's additional volumes) was eventually published between 1841 and 1852. Michaux's work was based on his extensive travels in the eastern half of America, and those of his father, from the 1790s on. Both men were friendly with Jefferson and other leading figures, who aided them in their work and travels. His book was first published with a Philadelphia imprint in 1817-19, although actually printed in Paris, where the plates were engraved as well. These plates were executed by the great French flower painters, Pierre-Joseph Redoute and his associate, Pancrace Bessa. Thomas Nuttall was one of the most intrepid American naturalists of his day, traveling extensively in the Mississippi Valley and the far west in the 1820s and 1830s to gather botanical specimens. His work, designed to supplement that of Michaux, covers eastern species missed by the Frenchman and new species Nuttall had gathered in the Midwest and West. His work first appeared in Philadelphia in 1842-49. The publishers then issued it as a combined set with Michaux's work in the uniform configuration found here. The more up-to-date method of hand-coloured lithography was employed for the plates in the Nuttall volumes. The present set is the most beautifully bound set we have ever encountered. Although the binder is unnamed, he was an artist of considerable note, working in Philadelphia, binding presentation copies and gift books and annuals. Comparison to other bindings with similar tools and inset panels suggest it to be the work of the Lippincott bindery. MacPhail Michaux 24c; MacPhail Nuttall 6f; Meisel III, 381(for Michaux); cf. Smith & Thieret 41 (for Nuttall); cf. Stafleu & Cowan 5966 & 6930.

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Michaux, Francois and Thomas Nuttall. The North American Sylva; or a Description of the forest trees of the United States, Canada, and Nova Scotia. Five Volumes. Philadelphia: Rice and Hart, 1859.

277 beautiful color plates(Michaux volumes contain 156 hand colored engravings, the Nuttall volumes contain 121 hand colored lithographs). Bound in publisher's original hand tooled morocco stamped in brown and gilt. Minor dampstain to volume five affectting only the upper edge of the page of sixteen pages of text and only four plates. All five volumes are tight and the plates are extremely bright and well preserved. According to Sabin this work "is the most complete work of its kind, and is production of unrivalled interest and beauty." Hard Cover Condition:Near fine condition

[SW: set]

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