Wild Flowers of Palestine.
Direct From The Land
Of Milk And Honey
[Judaica]. Greene, Rev. Harvey B., B.D. Wild Flowers from the Holy Land. Collected in Palestine by…New York: The Christian Herald, 1895.
8vo.; photographic frontispiece of “The Cedars of Lebanon;” other engraved illustrations throughout; 15 full plate pages with dried flowers affixed to matted pages, all flowers labeled and in fine condition; floral-motif endpapers; vivid green cloth, elaborately stamped in gilt with floral motif; a pristine copy of a lovely book. Housed in a specially made green cloth folding slipcase, black morocco spine label stamped in gilt.
First (and only?) edition of this spectacular collection of floral samples from Palestine. Surely an expensive book to produce (due to the necessity to gather flowers for each) and therefore unlikely to have been run in future editions; extremely uncommon and beautiful. We have never seen another copy.
An interesting collection of original flowers from “Palestine” produced and arranged by a Christian Reverend at a time pivotal to Israel’s history, (ie., a few decades before the State of Israel would come to exist.) The page facing the dedication pages includes a proclamation of the book’s authenticity from the United States Consulate at Jerusalem, Palestine: “April 22, 1895. I hereby certify from personal knowledge that Rev. H.B. Greene has been in Palestine for several months, and that during this time he has been making large collections of flowers of the Holy Land. Edwin S. Wallace, U.S. Consul.”
The dedication page includes a quasi-rationale for Rev. Greene’s undertaking:
You all have seen maps of Palestine, and heard sermons about
Palestine, and sung hymns about Palestine, and longed for the
opportunity of seeing Palestine, but this may be the first time you
have ever held a part of Palestine in your hand. These are not
pictures of flower: any engraver or painter can give you them,
but these were wrought, and spun, and colored by the hand of:
(#4453)
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