The Banks Florilegium

The printing of this project involved over 30 printers working in the London workshop of Edward Egerton–Williams for over 9 years.

The publication was started when Kerry Packer generously agreed, on my advice, to finance the printing of the Florilegium from the original plates engraved for Banks after the First Cook Voyage, the plates had been held in the Natural History Museum London since the death of Banks.

The restoration of the plates and the completion of the printing of a 100 numbered sets, each of 738 plates, was celebrated with an auction of an hors de commerce set in the Dinosaur Hall of the Natural History Museum in London.

The first 120 lots fetched £53,960 with three further auctions in Melbourne, Sydney and New Zealand planned for 1989. The proceeds will fund a Fellowship, administered by the Royal Society in London.

I purchased a complete set, now housed in six reproduction Gillows cabinets, one of less than 10 still in private hands.