HOUGH, Romeyn Beck (1857-1924)
The American Woods, exhibited by actual specimens and with copious explanatory text
Lowville, N.Y. published and sections prepared by the author, 1893-1892-1894-1898. Volume I-IV only (of 14). (9 x 6 inches). Illustrations. 312 samples of wood, each wafer-thin transverse, radial and tangential sections illustrating 104 species, window-mounted in 104 card mounts. (Occasional natural cracking and warping to a few samples, perforation stamps to titles of text sections and to first leaf of text in each part).
Text in original glazed paper wrappers, samples in card mounts unbound as issued, each text volume and accompanying samples within original green cloth cover in matching original cloth slipcase, with metal catch and bosses to covers
Mixed edition. A representative sample of a rare and remarkable work on the woods of America. Volumes I-IV cover all the trees of New York and adjacent states. A contemporary reviewer called it "one of the most marvelous and instructive books ever made" (Art Education).
This remarkable work was the lifetime achievement of Romeyn B. Hough, who devoted himself to the study of American trees, and who is best known for his Handbook of Trees of the Northern States and Canada, long a standard reference work in American dendrology. In this work, Hough sought to describe the woods found in America, with a detailed description in an accompanying pamphlet, and with thin cross-sections of actual woods mounted and labeled in accompanying stiff cardboard mounts. These provide a unique record of American wood types, arranged geographically. Generally each species is shown with wood cut on traverse section, radial section, and tangential section. The samples are so thin as to be easily translucent. The age of these specimens gives them tremendous importance from an ecological standpoint, as well as their great interest to students of American furniture and woodcrafts. The trees available to Hough at the time make such an endeavor impossible to contemplate today. Parts I-IV cover New York and adjacent states, part V covers Florida, parts VI-X describe the Pacific Slope, parts XI-XII cover the Atlantic states, and part XIII southern Florida. Part XIV contained a continuation of the work on the trees of Florida with text by Marjorie Hough, using specimens and notes prepared by her father before his death in 1924. Hough explained the unique nature of the work thus: it is `illustrated by actual specimens, and being in this way an exhibition of nature itself it possesses a peculiar and great interest never found in a press-printed book. The specimens are....about 2 x 5 in. in size, and sufficiently thin to admit of examination in transmitted light...Looked at in reflected light they appear as in the board or log... These specimens are mounted in durable frame-like Bristol-board pages, with black waterproofed surfaces...and each bears printed in gilt-bronze the technical name of the species and its English, German, French and Spanish names. The pages are separable...and are accompanied with a full text...giving information as to the uses and physical properties of the woods, and distributions, habits of growth, botanical characters, habitats, medicinal properties, etc,., of the trees.. The woods used for the specimens are personally collected by the author… and are sectioned and prepared by a process of his own device'. Complete sets of this work are very rare since subscribers came and went over the 25-year period of publication and many only bought the volume or volumes on the areas that interested them. The volumes were priced at five dollars each, a high price reflecting the work involved in assembling them. The rarity of complete sets can be judged from the fact that Stafleu and Cowan record the work as being complete in 6 volumes.
Cf. BM (NH) II,p.880 (pts.1-8 only); cf. Stafleu & Cowan TL2 II, p.341.
Item #20339
Price: $3,500.00