Principles of scientific botany; or, botany as an inductive science. London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1849.
8vo. viii, 616 pp. With 6 lithographed plates and numerous text woodcuts. Contemporary cloth binding, covers in blind, rebacked; interior is generally very clean, plates partially soiled. $300.00
First edition in English from the second German edition, with a new summary and appendix, translated by Edwin Lankester, British zoologist. Schleiden (1804-81) was a German botanist, who, with Schwann, is best known for the establishment of the cell theory. In 1838 he announced that the various parts of plants consist of cells, the first to recognize their importance as the fundamental unit of living organisms. In addition he recognized the importance of the nucleus (cytoblast) in cell division and noted the active movement of intracellular material in plant tissue.
