The British Sea Anemones and Corals, by Philip Henry Gosse

This book from our Natural History collection is on a very unique subject…

The British Sea Anemones and Corals endeavours to provide a precise and ordered history and description of the various corals and sea anemone found around Britain. It was written by Philip Henry Gosse, and published by Van Voorst in 1860 – Gosse’s aim was that his book could be followed along by any curious students.

Inside the book are twelve chromolithographic plates (all in colour) with other small black and white diagrams scattered throughout the pages. Chromolithography is a way of making coloured prints, whereby different plates that have one colour and one part of the image each are printed and layered on top of each other to create the full image.

The book itself is bound in a deep turquoise cloth, with an ornate gold titling on the spine and front board. There is some rubbing around the edges of the spine and the boards, and a small, superficial tear to the cloth at the top. There is some foxing inside the book, but this doesn’t affect any of the plates.

The British Sea Anemones and Corals is a unique book, with gorgeous chromolithographs, detailed and easy-to-follow descriptions and in a quality binding – perfect for any collector of fabulous and uncommon plates or those interested in the corals of Britain! It is being sold for £100.

If you are interested in purchasing this book, or would like more information of other items we sell, then please get in contact by emailing us at sales@mainlybooks.co.uk, or come visit us in store in Eton! Please refer to our Contact Us page for more information on how to reach us.