The New London Flora; or, Handbook to the Botanical Localities of the Metropolitan Districts

xxiv, 179, . . HB. Sm. 8vo, orig. cloth, rubbed/worn, stained to fore edges of boards. Spine worn and defective, with some loss. A practical Victorian guide to the wild flora of London and its environs, compiled from both published authorities and the Eyre Champion de Crespigny's (1821-1895) own extensive field observations. Issued at a time of rapid metropolitan expansion, it records the botanical riches of woods, commons, marshes and heaths before many were lost to urban development, making it one of the most important historical sources for the study of London's changing flora.