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natural history
Natural History
Presented in two divisions, the first covering Faversham and environs; the second, the region of East Kent in general. The first division opens with a gazetteer of plants (and molluscs and insects) to be found in different parts of Faversham in each of the months of the year: Thorn Creeek, Ewell, Bysing Wood, Sittingbourne Road, Newnham Road, Cades and Ashford Road (each with subdivisions into smaller roads, woods and fields). Cowell is described on the title-page as ‘Corresponding member, and local secretary, for Kent, of the Botanical Society of London.’ The Society was then in its infancy, with the first volume of its Proceedings (1839) advertised on the final two advert leave shere. A Floral Guide... is dedicated to Lady Harris of Belmont House. William Ratcliffe was a second-generation Faversham printer and bookseller, working from 44-5 Court Street (now Lloyds bank) (see Richard Goulden, Faversham Book Trade 1730-1900, 1996, p. 32). see full details...
Willughby (1635-1720), author of some of the most important contributions in natural history before those of Linnaeus, toured the Continent extensively with John Ray, collecting material for his research and observing specimens to be reproduced in his drawings. He died before publishing his studies on fish. The large editorial work was undertaken by Ray, the renowned naturalist who had carried out extensive experimental work in embryology and plant physiology, a member of the Royal Society of London since 1667. Ray brought his taxonomy system to bear on Willughby's descriptions. Although broadly based on Aristotle's classification, it relied on anatomical and functional features, and was the first system based on the notion of species in the distinction of diverse animals and plants. The exceptional collection of plates is known in two editorial states, one with engravings on both recto and verso of each leaf, the second engraved on recto only. This copy has 'state b' plates, and the title-page which is sometimes bound before the plates is here bound at the beginning. see full details...
![COWELL, M[atthew]. H[enry].](/photos/424/main/424.jpg "COWELL, M[atthew]. H[enry].")
![ROPER, F[reeman]. C[larke]. S[amuel].](/photos/427/main/427.jpg "ROPER, F[reeman]. C[larke]. S[amuel].")
