Maize cultivation. BONAFOUS. Histoire naturelle, agricole et economique du maïs.

BONAFOUS, Matteo. Histoire naturelle, agricole et economique du maïs.

Paris, Madame Huzard, née Vallat-La Chapelle imprimeur & Turin, Bocca, 1836

First edition, rare. The work is illustrated with 20 engraved plates, 15 of which are printed in color and hand-retouched, and 11 illustrations within the text, including a portrait of Henri-Alexandre Tessier, to whom the work is dedicated. The volume also has the distinction of containing the last scientific illustration published by Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759–1840), the ‘Redouté of flowers’, in plate V bis: ‘Zea Cryptosperma’; the other fourteen are by Angelica Bottione-Rossi (or Rossi-Bottione). The volume is both useful and decorative; the uncolored engravings depict processing and preservation methods, whilst the last two color plates illustrate threats to maize, including maize smut (huitlacoche) and harmful insects. The agronomist Matthieu Bonafous studied the crops of southern France: vines, rice, silk and maize. His "Histoire naturelle, agricole et economique du maïs" deals with the plant’s origin, describes its various varieties and addresses cultivation, harvesting, threshing, pests and their impact on the rural economy.

Hunt, Redoutéana 23; Nissen, BBI 198; Pritzel 966; Sitwell, Great Flower Books p. 79.

Imperial folio. 510x340 mm. Contemporary full brown leather binding, with gilt rules decoration on the covers, title and gilt decorations on the spine, marbled endpapers and edges. Pages [2], 181, [1], [1]. Frontispiece with a portrait of the author, 20 plates outside the text numbered I–XIX, [including plate V bis]. Various illustrations within the text. In total 21 engraved plates, some of which are hand-colored. Slight signs of wear to the binding, sporadic foxing inside; a fine copy.