Burnside Rare Books

[Herbarium]. Wild Flowers of the Holy Land. Matt VI. 28, 29 30. London Society's Mission to the Jews.

[Ferdinand Vester]

Jerusalem: Printed by Joseph Schor, [ca. 1890].

First edition. Twenty-three cardstock leaves bearing mounted pressed flowers from the Holy Land. Bound in publisher's incised wooden boards (most likely olive tree wood) over leather spine lettered in gilt with "Jerusalem" in manuscript Hebrew lettering on front board; all edges marbled. Very Good with lean to binding, front joint starting but holding, splitting at rear board with small dings to edges, toggle slightly warped. Armorial bookplate of previous owner at front pastedown, typed notations about the former owner at front free endpaper, toning and foxing throughout with creasing and foxing to tissue guards; some guards are lacking. Specimens are fragile with sporadic loss, some stems and flowers dislodged and laid-in. Rear pastedown has an ink-jet printed first day cover and inked notations.

A beautiful reliquary of pressed flowers from various pilgrimage sites attributed to German Lutheran missionary Ferdinand Vester. Holy Land sites represented include the Tomb of the Prophets, Convent of the Cross, Jeremiah's Grotto, Kedron, and more, each flower remaining anonymous without it's taxonomy. Founded in 1809, The London Society's Mission to the Jews primary goal was to convert Jews to Christianity, based on the belief that the conversion of Jews was a prerequisite for the second coming of Christ. Met with opposition from both Christians and Jews, their purpose changed to distributing texts and publications like The Jewish Expositor that promoted relationships between the two religious sects. Item #140948388

Price: $850