A keen collector and sketcher of plant specimens from an early age, the author, educator and clergyman Charles Alexander Johns (1811–74) gained recognition for his popular books on British plants, trees, birds and countryside walks. The Forest Trees of Britain (1847–9), one of several works originally published by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, is also reissued in this series. First published by the Society in 1851, Johns' best-known work is this two-volume botanical guide to common British flowering plants. Following the Linnaean system of classification, Johns describes the various plant families, providing the common and Latin names for each species. The work is especially noteworthy for its delicate and meticulous line drawings, based on watercolours by the botanical artist Emily Stackhouse and the author's sisters Julia and Emily. Volume 2 completes the botanical descriptions and includes indexes of English and Latin plant names.
