{"id":16847,"date":"2025-09-26T14:19:27","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T21:19:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/?post_type=book&p=16847"},"modified":"2025-10-03T15:42:56","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T22:42:56","slug":"the-botanists-repository","status":"publish","type":"book","link":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/book\/the-botanists-repository\/","title":{"rendered":"The Botanist\u2019s Repository"},"content":{"rendered":"

For some authors and illustrators of botanical and horticultural periodicals from the 18th and 19th centuries, there is little biographical information available.\u00a0 This includes Henry C. Andrews.\u00a0 As recently as 2017, his date of birth was unknown, as was his full middle name.\u00a0 But careful review of genealogical records, including documents that record both his marriage and his death, show that he was born about 1759, died in 1835, and his middle name was Cranke, instead of Charles as was assumed in earlier biographical references.<\/p>\n

\"\"There still is nothing known about his place of birth, or little else before he became an active illustrator.\u00a0 In 1797, he began publishing The Botanist\u2019s Repository<\/em>, the first significant rival to The Botanical Magazine<\/em><\/a> by William Curtis.<\/p>\n

Andrews notes in his first volume that Curtis\u2019s work \u201cconsists of those well-known common plants, long cultivated in our gardens\u201d.\u00a0 By contrast, his work will include \u201cColoured Figures of such Plants, as have not Hitherto appeared in any similar publications.\u201d\u00a0 It was also bigger, quarto size or 9.5\u201dx12\u201d.\"\"<\/p>\n

Unusual for his time, Andrews drew, engraved, printed (in green ink), and colored all his illustrations.\u00a0 The descriptions, both in Latin and English, were for the first five volumes attributed to his father-in-law, John Kennedy, who was a nursery owner, although others possibly contributed.\u00a0 Horticultural information is limited, but more attention is paid to the discovery and introduction of featured plants.<\/p>\n

Andrews is perhaps better known for his later work on heaths (Erica<\/em> species), responding to craze for these South African plants that had gripped the gardening community in England.\u00a0 Regrettably, the Miller Library does not have this work, or his other books on geraniums or roses.<\/p>\n

Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on September 15, 2025<\/p>\n

Excerpted from the Fall 2025 issue of the Journal of the Book Club of Washington.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For some authors and illustrators of botanical and horticultural periodicals from the 18th and 19th centuries, there is little biographical information available.\u00a0 This includes Henry C. Andrews.\u00a0 As recently as 2017, his date of birth was unknown, as was his full middle name.\u00a0 But careful review of genealogical records, including documents that record both his marriage and his death, show that he was born about 1759, died in 1835, and his middle name was Cranke, instead of Charles as was…<\/p>\n

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