The Flora Londinensis was the first major botanical work of William Curtis, published between 1775-1798. Curtis originaly planned for the Flora Londinensis to document the flowering speices in the area close to London, but eventually the work evolved and expanded to encompass the flora of southern England. Curtis designed the book in the larger folio format with illustrations by noted botanical artists James Sowerby, Sydenham Edwards and William Kilburn; it’s copperplate engraving and careful hand coloring made it a very attractive work. Despite its artistic success, the Flora Londinensis did not sell beyond 300 copies and subsequently never reached the much broader audience (3000 copies) that Curtis enjoyed with the Botanical Magazine.
