Nice, imprimerie Canis frères, 1859.
Oblong 4to [263 x 345 mm] of (1) l., lv pp., 138 pp., (1) l., 48 plates in colors. Bound in green buckram, flat spine decorated with gilt fillets, mottled edges. Contemporary binding.
First edition of the author’s first work, dedicated to mushrooms from his home region.
Pritzel, 410 ; Jackson, 288 ; Volbracht 59 ; Uellner 50 ; Stafleu 309 ; Nissen 77 ; Stiftung für Botanik 27.
Son and grandson of wealthy traders from Nice, Jean-Baptiste Barla (1817-1896) takes an early interest in natural history and more specifically in the flora from his region, especially mushrooms and orchids. He was Antoine Risso’s student and founded the natural history Museum of Nice, to which he bequeathed his thousand pieces mushrooms collection.
“We have to give a specific mention to the beautiful book by Mr. Barla, director of the Natural History Museum in Nice, in which the Italian mushroom specialist introduced mushrooms from his province (1 vol. large 4to, 1859), particularly the edible, suspicious or venomous species. The plates drawn by the author represent all the species described at different stages of development with a great scrutiny and colored with a faithfulness that adds to the unmissable interest attached to this good and beautiful book. This book should be in the hands of every friend of humanity as well as people from the world.”
The present iconography is illustrated with 48 chromolithographs gummed from the author’s drawings.
Precious copy bearing a handwritten signed dedication by the author on the half-title: « A l’Académie Mont-Réal. Hommage de l’Auteur. J.B. Barla », preserved in its contemporary binding.
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