DICKSON, Richard Watson
A complete dictionary of practical gardening: comprehending all the modern improvements in the art; whether in the raising of the various esculent vegetables, or in the forcing and managing of different sorts of fruits and plants, and that of laying out, ornamenting, and planting, gardens and pleasure grounds: with correct engravings ... from original drawings by Sydenham Edwards. By Alexander McDonald, gardener. In two volumes. ...
London (Place), printed for George Kearsley, by R. Taylor and Co.,, 1807.
2 vols ; 26.7 cm. (4º)
I: iv, [556] p., [38] pl. (30 hand-col.)
II: [284] p., [37] pl. (30 hand-col.)

Alexander McDonald was the pseudonym of Richard Watson Dickson. First published serially in 1805--1807. The hand-coloured plates are engravings of flowers and plants after paintings by Sydenham Edwards, numbered 1--60 with a bis pl. 19; plates 1--28, bis pl. 19 and pl. 32 are in vol. I, and plates 29--31, 33--60 in vol. II. The remaining uncoloured plates of garden architecture are lettered A--H in vol. I and A--F in vol. II. The plates were later used in The New Flora Britannica published by John Stockdale in 1812.

Copy Notes Imperfect; wanting pl. E in vol. II. In the Soane set, the group of uncoloured architectural plates bound at the end of each volume have been transposed and there are duplicate plates 29--30 bound in vol. I. Possibly the work by M----[?] on Gardens / 2 Vol bought with an unidentified Lives of the Painters from J. Williams for 12s. on 5 May 1831. (Priv. Corr. XVI.E.7.8).

Binding C19th red straight-grain morocco, gilt-tooled triple-rule and palmette borders, blind-tooled palmette and anthemion centre panels, gilt-tooled spine compartments, gilt edges, light green marbled end-papers.

Reference Number 2755

Additional Names J.$Williams; Edwards, Sydenham Teak (1768--1819); McDonald, Alexander, pseud