F. E. Tripp — British Mosses, Their Homes, Aspects, Structure, and Uses

London, George Bell and Sons, 1874. First edition. Cloth. The complete first edition of this delicately illustrated study of British mosses, with etched coloured figures of each species. First edition. Complete in two volumes, in the publisher's blind-stamped cloth binding.A comprehensive reference guide for British mosses by F. E. Tripp, with a breakdown of scientific classification followed by a lovely series of hand-coloured plates, with intricately drawn figures of each species and explanatory leaves.A charming 19th-century of bryology, intended for the use of amateurs who may desire to identify species in the field. With seventeen coloured plates to Volume I and twenty-two coloured plates to Volume II, "etched on the copper and coloured by hand directly from the living specimen".Collated, complete. In the publisher's original blind-stamped cloth binding. Externally, sound, with rubbing to the extremities, resulting in loss to the spines' heads and tails. Marks to the boards and darkening to the rear boards. Internally, gutter exposed to Vol I between pp. 44-45, however remains firmly bound. Pages are bright and generally clean, with occasional spots, slightly heavier to Vol II. Plates remain largely unaffected. Good . Ill.: Not Stated. Good .