Messel Muriel (2 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Fair. 1st Edition. First edition. Hardback, quarter buckram with marbled paper covered boards*. 23 × 15cm, ix + 196pp. *I think a previous owner has added the marbled paper covering, it is starting to peel off revealing the original grey card covered boards below. Ludwig was a passionate plant collector who introduced rare and tender species to Nymans, testing their hardiness in the English climate. This book is a comprehensive inventory of the exotic and native trees, shrubs, and flowers cultivated at Nymans over a 25-year period (1890-1915), which alongside listing plant names, his daughter Muriel included notes on propagation, hardiness, glasshouse care, and outdoor performance. The winter of 1916/1917 was harsh, and the final two pages are a record of plant losses. In a nod to the Great War, it is a roll of honour as the plants are listed as having been killed, damaged, or severely damaged. Muriel Messel completed the manuscript in memory of her father's work, but she passed away from influenza in December 1917, just months before the book was published. Condition: A fair copy. As mentioned above, the marbled paper covering is detaching from the boards though I don't think this was original. Corners a bit bumped, tanning to the page edges, handmade paper a little wrinkled as is normal. The inner binding is pulled a bit throughout the book but remains secure. Otherwise the book remains in good readable condition.…

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. 1918, First Edition. Foreword by William Robinson. Notes by Muriel Messel. Octavo. 6" x 9" approx. ix, 196pp. Printed on linen-rag paper. Illustrated. Quarter buckram, papered sides. Some soiling and markings. Binding secure. Top edge gilt, other edges uncut. Heraldic bookplate to end paper for Sir Herbert Maxwell. With a few marginal annotations by the former owner - including notes to the Appendix recording results relating to his own garden at Monreith House. Otherwise generally clean within. A 'Good+' copy. Scarce. The author sadly died in December 1917, prior to publication. It was written in remembrance of the author's father, Ludwig Messel, who experimented on plants and introduced rare species into his garden at Nymans, in West Sussex. The book was illustrated by Alfred Parsons, and the foreword was written by William Robinson. It documents the plants that were grown at Nymans, with notes added about the plants that were considered to be more noteworthy. Its appendix lists plants that were destroyed during a bad winter that occurred from 1916/17. The book was published in 1918, shortly after Muriel's death from influenza in December, 1917. Alfred Parsons (illustrator).…