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NORTH AMERICAN WILD FLOWERS BY MARY VAUX WOLCOTT 6 VOLUMES LIMITED EDITION RARE

North American Wild Flowers by Mary Vaux Walcott, signed limited edition 1925 This is copy #129 of 500 Published by The Smithsonian Institution Washington, D.C. 6 volumes. Folio (14.4” X 12"). Original morocco backed fold over linen boxes with metal Smithsonian medallion embedded in the cover. Original cloth ties. Volume 6 ( North American Pitcher-plants published in 1935). Each of the 5 portfolios contains 80 loose lithograph illustrations of flowers, each alongside a descriptive text leaf as well as a table of contents leaf. Volume one contains a separate booklet with the foreword for the book, a note from the printer and a list of subscribers; the foreword is signed by Mary Walcott. Volume two contains a similar booklet containing an index and an extended list of patrons. Volumes three to five include matching introductory booklets with indexes individual to each volume. Volume six contains another booklet which provides the forward and index of the Pitcher-plants text. The volume 6 booklet is signed by the author Mary Walcott and is number 33 of 500. It contains 15 lithographs. The 1925 publication was limited to 500 copies and cost $500.00 at the time of issuance. Volume six contains another booklet which provides the foreword and index of the Pitcher-plants text as well as 15 additional lithographs. It too is signed by Mary Walcott numbered 33 of the 500 printed in the 1935 publication. Other than minor wear to the leather spines of the portfolios, the set is in fine condition. The Patrons list includes important names like Du Pont, Rockefeller, J.P. Morgan, Carnegie and Mellon, etc. The original prospectus describes the immense work involved in the production of the set. The half-tone plates were printed on all rag paper, and a special color printing process was used by William Edwin Rudge the printer. This truly spectacular production includes many examples of plants Mrs. Walcott sketched on travels to the Canadian Rockies with her famous geologist husband. This set also includes the Pitcher-plants which was issued 10 years later and as stated above was also limited to 500 copies. Assisted by Walcott, the descriptions were by Edgar T. Wherry and notes on the insects by Franklin Morton Jones. Ralph M. Duenewald provides a note from the printer.

H. 14.5" W. 11.5" D. 2"
B1025-2
POR

Style: Traditional
Origin: American
Period: 20th Century

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