HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE- 



'S SI P. 



iS- 



AIDS TO THE CHOICE OF BOOKS ON 

 BOTANY.* 



By Bernard Hobson. 



AS I have learnt by experience that those who 

 are commencing the study of any important 

 subject are often at a loss to know what are the best 

 books for the purpose, I hope that the following 

 remarks may be of use to such persons, premising 

 that though the prices given are the published ones 

 some of the works are only to be had second-hand. 



The best book for beginners (without depreciating 

 other works) and all who wish to obtain a practical 

 knowledge of Botany is the extremely lucid " Lessons 

 in Elementary Botany," by Prof. D. Oliver, F.R.S., 

 F.L.S., i8mo. 4j. 6d. ; Macmillan & Co. It contains 

 nearly 200 clear illustrations, the only fault of which 

 is, that they never represent complete plants, but 

 only parts. Typical plants of the chief British 

 natural orders are described, together with the most 

 important exotics, as bamboos, rice, cotton, tobacco, 

 &c, and there is a very good index. 



Another good work, excellently illustrated, is the 

 " Vegetable World," by Louis Figuier, 471 illustra- 

 tions, published by Cassell, Petter, & Galpin, at 

 7-r. 6d. It describes, more or less fully, all the natural 

 orders of plants. 



The two following, published by Bradbury & Co., 

 are clearly written and well illustrated. "School 

 Botany and Vegetable Physiology," with descriptions 

 of the chief European natural orders, by Dr. John 

 Lindley, F.R.S., F.L.S. ; and "Botany for Be- 

 ginners," by Dr. M. T. Masters, F.R.S. (with very 

 little on systematic botany). Other similar works 

 are Henfrey's " Rudiments of Botany," foolscap 8vo., 

 3-r. 6d., Van Voorst, and " Elements of Botany for 

 Families and Schools," Tenth edition, revised by 

 Thomas Moore, F.L.S., 154 woodcuts, 2s. 6d. ; 

 Longmans. 



Those who wish for cheaper books may buy 

 "Outlines of Elementary Botany," by G. Bentham, 

 F.R.S., P.L.S., Fourth edition, i2mo., is., Lovell 

 Reeve & Co. ; a clear summary of facts without a 

 useless word, but no illustrations or descriptions of 

 natural orders. "Primer of Botany," by Sir J. D. 

 Hooker, C.B., P.R.S., i8mo., cloth, is., Macmillan, 

 68 illustrations, but not nearly so complete as Prof. 

 Oliver's "Lessons," and containing next to nothing 

 on systematic botany; Prof. Balfour's "Vegetable 

 Anatomy and Physiology," i^. ; " Systematic and 

 Economic Botany," is. (elementary) ; and two works , 

 under the same titles (advanced), 2s. 6d. each; 

 Collins & Sons (illustrated). Prof. J. H. Balfour, 

 M.D., F.R.S. L. & E., is also author of "Elements 

 of Botany," foolscap Svo., cloth, 427 woodcuts, 3J. 6d., 

 an d "Outlines of Botany," foolscap 8vo., cloth, 



* Any of the books referred to in this article may be obtained 

 Square WC £ ' 3 St ' Martin ' s Place . Trafalgar 



nearly 600 woodcuts, $s. ; A. & C. Black, 

 Edinburgh. 



More advanced work\ than any of the foregoing 

 are : Prof. Balfour's " Manual of Botany " (structure, 

 physiology, classification), Fifth edition, 963 wood- 

 cuts, crown Svo., 12s. 6</. ; also his very complete 

 "Class Book of Botany" (structure, morphology, 

 physiology, classification, geography, fossil botany, 

 glossary), one large volume, Svo., with 1800 illustra- 

 tions, 2Ij\, (can, or could, be had in two parts), 

 A. & C. Black, Edinburgh. 



The splendidly illustrated "General System of 

 Descriptive and Analytical Botany," by Le Maout 

 and Decaisne, translated by Mrs. Hooker, with de- 

 scriptions of every natural order, and 5500 woodcuts, 

 imp. 8vo., 52 s. 6d. ; Longmans. 



On special branches of botany are : "A Manual 

 of Structural Botany," by M. C. Cooke, M.A., 

 LL.D., twentieth thousand, 200 cuts, is. ; David 

 Bogue. "The Anatomy and Physiology of the 

 Vegetable Cell," by Mohl, 8vo., Js. 6d. ; Van Voorst. 

 "Botany, Structural, and Physiological," by O. W. 

 Thome, translated by A. W. Bennett, M.A., F.L.S., 

 600 woodcuts, 6s., Longmans ; a text-book which 

 may be considered as introductory to Julius Sachs' 

 "Text-Book of Botany, Morphological and Physio- 

 logical," translated by Bennett & Dyer, 500 illustra- 

 tions, 848 pages and index, royal Svo., half-morocco, 

 3 1 j. 6d., Macmillan ; a first-class work for those who 

 wish to go deeply into the subject, and are not afraid 

 of technical terms ; it also contains outlines of classi- 

 fication. 



"A Manual of Botany, Anatomical and Physio- 

 logical," by Robert Brown, M.A., F.R.G.S., crown 

 8vo., many illustrations, 12s. 6d. ; W. Blackwood 

 & Sons. 



"Pollen," by M. P. Edgeworth, several hundred 

 cuts, Svo., Is. 6d. ; David Bogue. 



On systematic botany (description of all the natural 

 orders) Dr. Lindley's "Natural System of Botany," 

 with a complete list of genera and synonyms, but no 

 illustrations, cloth, iSj-. ; Longmans. 



Lindley's "Vegetable Kingdom," a large Svo. 

 volume with very numerous and good illustrations 

 and excellent index ; a work containing avast amount 

 of information (price unknown to me). 



For those who wish to master the art of description 

 nothing can be better than Dr. Lindley's "Descriptive 

 Botany," is., with illustration ; Bradbury & Co. 



On Cryptogamic Botany one of the best works is 

 Berkeley's "Introduction;" 21s.; Bailliere & Co. 



" Introduction to the Study of Palceontological 

 Botany," demy Svo., illustrated with four plates and 

 100 woodcuts, by Professor Balfour, "js. 6d. ; A. & C. 

 Black. 



Having mastered the principles of botany we pro- 

 ceed to collect British plants and determine their 

 species. All the following contain the flowering 

 plants and ferns only. Sowerby's ' ' English Botany," 



