CRICHTON, Arthur, the reverend. ~ Festival of Flora. London: [C. Whittingham, Chiswick] for N. Hailes, 1818 [1819].
8vo (160 × 95 mm), pp. vii, [1], 73, [7], complete with half-title and adverts, plus engraved title (dated 1819) and 8 engraved plates, all hand-coloured. Contemporary fine-grained green cloth, smooth spine with red morocco label, gilt. Contemporary armorial bookplate and pencil ownership inscription of Charles W. Orde of Nunnykirk [Northumberland]. An excellent copy.
Second (expanded) edition (first 1815) of this charming juvenile title: an imitation of The Butterfly's Ball in which an array of personified garden and wild plants gather in celebration. The attractive plates were formerly sometimes attributed to William Blake, and while one can see why, there is probably no connection (Bentley, Blake Collection, Sale Catalogues, 196). The preface indicates that the section of botanical explanations (quite copious) has been revised and enlarged for this second edition.