Botanische Ergebnisse der Reise Seiner Majestat des Kaisers von Mexico Maximililan I nach Brasilien (1859-60)

Vienna: Carl Gerold's Son, 1866. First edition. Hardcover. Paper pastedown. Modern clamshell box. Very Good. Beautiful oversized botanical plates. Folio, 49 by 35 cm. Half-title, title, xvi, 224, [4] pp. With 104 lithographed plates after Josef Seboth. 32 of these are partially printed in color. Wawra, a ship's surgeon, accompanied Maximilian I on his expedition to Brazil which spanned from 1859 to 1860. Franz Maly, a botanist and the Royal Gardener, was charged with collecting plants, a good number of which were previously unrecorded. The Austrian Habsburg Maximilian, with the instigation of Napoleon III, was in 1864 made the Emperor of Mexico but was deposed and executed two years later. Condition: corners bumped, and a bit chewed in appearance. Joints rubbed, slight looseness. Spine extremities with chipping and roughness. Scattered light foxing, a few minor edge chips, but overall reads as a clean copy. The cloth box has brass snap clasps and extra thick "walled" sides. It is lined within with felt. PLEASE NOTE: the book and its box weigh 24 lbs., and so extra shipping charges will be required.