1858 Victorian Edition - The Language of Flowers by the editor of Forget Me Not

A rare and charming 1858 Victorian edition of The Language of Flowers, combining the romantic symbolism of flowers with illustrative poetry, a beautifully coloured floral frontispiece, and an attractive gilt-decorated blue cloth binding.

Author: Anonymous; revised by the editor of Forget Me Not.
Title: The Language of Flowers, with Illustrative Poetry; to Which Are Now Added the Calendar of Flowers and the Dial of Flowers.
Publisher: London: Saunders & Otley, Conduit Street, 1858.
Edition: Twelfth Edition, revised.
Language: English.
Pages: xii, 362 pages.
Size: 6 x 4 inches.
Binding: Very good original blue cloth binding, elaborately blind-stamped with decorative borders and a gilt floral urn on the front cover. Gilt lettering and floral ornament to the spine. All edges gilt. Light rubbing to the extremities and a few small marks to the boards, including a more noticeable dark mark on the rear cover, as shown. The binding remains attractive and well preserved. Protected in a removable mylar cover. 
Content: Very good, complete, with occasional light foxing and age-related marks. Early handwritten ownership inscriptions dated 1889 on the front free endpaper. The pages are generally clean and well preserved.
Illustrations: Complete with the charming hand-coloured floral frontispiece depicting a bouquet of flowers.

Estimate: USD $250–300.

The book: Published in London in 1858, this rare edition of The Language of Flowers is a delightful example of the Victorian fascination with floriography, the art of expressing emotions and sentiments through flowers. During the nineteenth century, flowers were understood to carry a rich vocabulary of symbolic meanings, allowing affection, devotion, sorrow, remembrance, and even rejection to be communicated through carefully chosen bouquets. This charming volume explores that romantic tradition through botanical descriptions, literary quotations, and poetry drawn from celebrated writers.

Among its many floral interpretations, the weeping willow signifies mourning, the lilac the first emotions of love, the lily of the valley the return of happiness, and the pink pure love. The volume also includes a Calendar of Flowers and a Dial of Flowers, extending its exploration of floral symbolism into the seasons and the passage of time. Dedicated to Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, the book is particularly appealing in its original richly coloured blue cloth binding, with elegant gilt decoration, all edges gilt, and a lovely hand-coloured floral frontispiece. A delightful little volume for collectors of Victorian literature, botanical symbolism, and nineteenth-century gift books.

The editor: The title page identifies the work as revised by the editor of Forget Me Not, without providing an individual name. Forget Me Not was a celebrated British literary annual associated with the flourishing culture of illustrated gift books in the nineteenth century. Such publications brought together poetry, prose, sentimental writing, and decorative illustration, often intended as treasured gifts or keepsakes.

The anonymous editorial presentation of The Language of Flowers reflects this same literary and sentimental tradition. Combining the language of floral emblems with selections of verse and reflections on nature, the volume captures the Victorian enthusiasm for finding meaning, beauty, and emotional expression in the natural world.