Bidspirit auction | Shirley Hibberd

Shirley Hibberd - Familiar Garden Flowers - Shirley Hibberd, 1880. Published on an undetermined date (circa 1880) in London, Paris, and New York by the prestigious publisher Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Co., this superb set comprises the first and second complete series of the acclaimed work ”Familiar Garden Flowers” by the influential gardening writer Shirley Hibberd. The two volumes, in octavo format (20 x 14 cm) with 160 pages each plus 4 pages of publisher's catalog at the end, stand out for their exceptional artistic and botanical value, containing a total of 80 magnificent color engravings outside the text (40 in each volume) printed on thick paper, executed with extraordinary detail by the renowned naturalist and illustrator F. Edward Hulme, in addition to numerous black and white illustrations inserted in the text and ornate initial capitals at the beginning of each chapter. The volumes are presented in their stunning original publisher's bindings in dark blue cloth, exquisitely decorated with rich and elaborate floral motifs and geometric ornaments stamped in gold and black on the front covers and spines. The center of the covers features a beautiful polychrome floral print applied as a medallion (with a hand-painted effect), a blind decoration on the back cover, and all the edges of the leaves entirely gilded. The collection is in excellent overall condition, with very clean and perfectly firm bindings, gleaming gilts, and a clean and robust text block. This lot acquires an enhanced bibliographic pedigree and historical relevance by bearing the handwritten signature in black ink of the illustrious collector Valdemar Cordeiro in the middle of each volume's title, attesting to its direct provenance from this prestigious private library and harmoniously linking it to the preceding lots.