William. A treatise on the culture of the pine apple and the management of the hot-house. Together with a description of every species of insect that infest hot-houses, with effectual methods of destr

by SPEECHLY

£475 · Offered by Henry Sotheran Ltd

SPEECHLY, William. A treatise on the culture of the pine apple and the management of the hot-house. Together with a description of every species of insect that infest hot-houses, with effectual methods of destroying them. York: A Ward. 1779. 8vo. Contemporary full tree calf, flat spine gilt in compartments with red morocco lettering-piece, marbled endpapers; pp. v, [7 (list of subscribers)], vii-xvii, [1], 100, [3], 102-186, [2], with 2 engraved plates (1 folding); early ownership signature “L Bright” in ink to title-page; hinges cracked, joints split but holding firm, spine worn, lettering-piece and endcaps chipped, slight wear to corner; light offset from plates and to title; overall a very good, clean copy. First edition of this innovative treatise on pineapple cultivation, published at the height of “pineapple mania” in Britain. Native to tropical and subtropical America, the pineapple was first successfully cultivated in Britain by the Dutch gardener Henry Telende, in the service of the Dutch-born merchant and politician Sir Matthew Decker, at his seat in Richmond between 1714 and 1716. The fruit soon became a symbol of wealth and refinement: by the late eighteenth century, its cultivation had become a craze among the wealthy and a fashionable test of horticultural skill. Richard Bradley, Cambridge’s first Professor of Botany, estimated that it cost around £80 to raise a single pineapple from planting to harvest – equivalent to over £9,000 today. Those unable to afford t

• Binding: Hardcover

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