The Flora Graeca Story Sibthorp, Bauer, and Hawkins in the Levant

About this book

This is the first scholarly treatise that tells the remarkable story behind the making of the Flora Graeca, the monumental collection of drawings and descriptions of plants in mainland Greece and the Balkan Peninsula. The discovery and description of the flora and fauna of the Balkan Peninsula was neglected until the botanists-naturalists John Sibthorpe and John Hawkins, with the help of illustrator Ferdinand Bauer, travelled and worked to produce a class of paintings superior to anything of their kind in existence then, which were to become one of the most valuable treasures of the University of Oxford. Based on the original diaries, letters, and specimens, this fine work is illustrated with the original illustrations.

Contents

Introduction; Complexities of discovery; Physicians and apothecarians; Levant lunatics; Expeditions; Linnaean revolutions; Sibthorp - the early years; Bauer - the early years; Hawkins - the early years; Sibthorp - the first journey; Hawkins's first journey; Sibthorp - the years between; Bauer's work for Sibthorp and Hawkins; Hawkins - the years between; Hawkins's second journey; Sibthorp's second journey; Sibthorp - the final months; The collections, drawings and notes; Hawkins - home the sailor; The publication of the results; Epilogue; References; Appendices

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