Title

"Eden: or a Compleat Body of Gardening"

Author/Artist

Sir John Hill. (1714-1775)

Date

1756-1757

Sizes

9" 3/816" 1/4 (25.0 x 41.5 cm)

Description

Numbered copper engraving. Names in English . Rare First Edition with beautiful original hand coloring.

 

"Eden: or a Compleat Body of Gardening"

By Sir John Hill

Biography of the Artist.

 

John Hill (1714 1775)

Born in Peterborough in 1714, Sir John Hill was an English author and botanist. He was apprenticed to an apothecary and was also a gardener by profession. He had a medical degree from Edinburgh and created and sold a variety of herbal medicines.

After travelling throughout Europe in search of rare herbs, with a view to publishing his works on botany, Hill settled in London, remaining there until his death in 1775.

Henrey writes of Sir John Hill that "Not only was...[he] industrious and energetic, but his writings show him to have been a man of real ability and genius" (vol. II, p. 91). Hi was a prolific and eccentric author and he published many works in the field of botany, medicine and geology-chemistry.    

Unfortunately, he was also conceited, eccentric and fond of self-advertisement: traits not conducive to winning friends, and various false starts in his search for wealth and recognition led him to pursue a number of careers: apothecary, practical botanist, actor, gardener (Hill assisted in the laying out of a botanic garden in Kew, and was gardener at Kensington Palace).

John Hill publications:

 - ‘The British Magazine’ (1746-1750);

- ‘The Oeconomy of Human Life-second part’ (1751);

- ‘The Garden Eden or a complete Body of Gardening’. London (1757);

- ‘The Vegetable System’ (1759 – 1775);

- ‘The Inspector’ a daily letter for the London Advertiser (1751-1753)

 

Description of the work.

We are pleased to offer a selection of hand coloured prints from the extremely rare first edition of  "Eden: or a Comleat Body of Gardening", issued in London in 60 weekly parts between August 1756 and October 1757, with figures of the plants designed and engraved by Grignion, Philips, Cole and others after Hill, Wale, Edward and Van Huysum.  

The work, intended as a companion to the Compleat Body of Husbandry (London, 1756), was designed along very unusual lines for the period: each weekly part includes information on what should be done in the garden during the following week together with descriptions of the plants that should be at their peak at that time. The needs of the flower garden, greenhouse and nursery, fruit garden, and kitchen garden are individually addressed. In the introduction, the author's intentions are made plain: "We shall treat Gardens from their Origin, Design, and first Construction, to raising them to Perfection, and keeping them in that condition; and we shall consider, in our Course, their Products, whether of Use, Curiosity, or Beauty. These we shall describe in their several Seasons, suiting our Publications to the Time of their Appearance."

These profusely illustrated botanical plates are of considerable beauty. Each engraved plate depicts six or more plant specimens, the vast majority of them beautiful blossoms.

Each print in folio edition measure approximately 9" 3/8 by 16” 1/4 (25 by 41.5 cm).

The condition of these print is superb, with characteristic strong plate. Superbly handcoloured on wonderful chained hand made paper. There is no foxing on clean paper. Near brand new!

Present example is truly exceptional: it is among the best contemporary coloured examples that we have seen.

There is no descriptive text.

The photos are very accurate, so please review carefully.  All our prints are authentic antique prints and guaranteed to be from the date stated. These prints are about 260 years old.

Bibliography Reference:  Great Flower Books (1990), p. 100; Henrey III, no. 776; Nissen BBI 880