Description

8vo., First Edition, with 8 coloured plates and 148 monochrome illustrations in the text; original green cloth, gilt back, green endpapers, a near fine copy in unclipped dustwrapper. The author's first book, and a landmark in the 'rediscovery' of the wild foods of the countryside. Mabey catalogues and details the edible roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruits of all-but-forgotten common plants. In all over 300 species are described, of which 90 are illustrated in colour and 148 in Blamey's wonderfully detailed pen-and-ink illustrations. The work proved a seminal study, inspiring and influencing many other writers both on natural history and cookery. It has been many times reissued in a variety of formats but the original edition is very scarce indeed in anything like this condition.