Millspaugh's Illustrated Guide to American Medicinal Plants

Charles F. Millspaugh. AMERICAN MEDICINAL PLANTS; AN ILLUSTRATED AND DESCRIPTIVE GUIDE TO THE AMERICAN PLANTS USED AS HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES: THEIR HISTORY, PREPARATION, CHEMISTRY, AND PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS. New York and Philadelphia: Boericke & Tafel, [ca. 1887]. (3) volumes. Full green morocco, gilt-lettered and decorated with additional decoration stamped in black, with raised bands on the spine and patterned endpapers. 4to; xv, [3], plates 1-68 with text; plates 69-128 with text; plates 129-180 with text. Organized according to series phaenogamia, class dicotyledons; series phaenogamia, class monocotyledons; and series cryptogamia, class acrogens. Illustrated with a total of (180) partly colored plates by the author, including one folding plate (cannabis/hemp); vol. III with appendix and index. Stafleu & Cowan 6067.

Each 11 1/2 x 9 in.

A Private North Carolina Collection

Charles Frederick Millspaugh (1854-1923) was a botanist and physician, and worked as the curator of botany at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.

Boards toned with occasional light scuffing or rubbing, vol. III with a few streaks of light green paint on the upper board; ownership signature and brief provenance information on free endpapers; interior extremely clean with mild toning, rare spot of grime, infrequent handling wear such as creasing and folds (mostly in vol. III index), and mostly expected offsetting/ghosting; a few areas with stitching visible at gutter; vol. III with a minor damp stain at fore-edge; plate 83 in vol. II with area of residue and discoloration to verso. An unusual copy of this detailed and comprehensive guide, being bound into three instead of the typical two volumes. Sturdy and handsome, with wonderful illustrations; easily very good.