{"product_id":"speechly-william-treatise-on-the-culture-of-the-pine-apple-and-the-management-of-the-hot-house-together-with-a-description-of-every-species-of-insect-that-infest-hot-houses-with-effectual-methods-of-destroying-them","title":"SPEECHLY, William. Treatise on the Culture of the Pine Apple and the Management of the Hot-House. Together with a Description of Every Species of Insect that Infest Hot-Houses, with Effectual Methods of Destroying Them.","description":"\u003ch3 style=\"font-variant: small-caps\"\u003e‘Pineapple Mania’ in Britain\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSPEECHLY, William.\u003c\/strong\u003e Treatise on the Culture of the Pine Apple and the Management of the Hot-House. Together with a Description of Every Species of Insect that Infest Hot-Houses, with Effectual Methods of Destroying Them. \u003ci\u003eYork\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003ci\u003e printed by A. Ward, for, and sold by the author, at Burlington-House, London; and at Welbeck, in Nottinghamshire\u003c\/i\u003e. 1779\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e8vo. Contemporary tree calf, flat spine richly gilt in compartments with gilt red morocco lettering-piece, marbled endpapers; pp. v, [7 (list of subscribers)], vii–xvii, [1], 100, [3], 102–186, [2], with 2 copper-engraved plates (of which 1 folding); early ownership inscription ‘L Bright’ to title-page; hinges cracked, joints split but holding firm, spine worn with two vertical cracks, lettering-piece and endcaps chipped, slight wear to corner; light offset from plates and to title; nonetheless a very good, clean copy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFirst edition of this innovative treatise on pineapple cultivation, published at the height of ‘pineapple mania’ in Britain.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNative to tropical and subtropical America, the pineapple was first successfully cultivated in Britain by the Dutch gardener Henry Telende, in the service of the Dutch-born merchant and politician Sir Matthew Decker, at his seat in Richmond between 1714 and 1716. The fruit soon became a symbol of wealth and refinement: by the late eighteenth century, its cultivation had become a craze among the wealthy and a fashionable test of horticultural skill. Richard Bradley, Cambridge’s first professor of botany, estimated that it cost around £80 to raise a single pineapple from planting to harvest – equivalent to over £9,000 today. Those unable to afford the expense might instead hire one for display at a dinner party, at a cost of one guinea, or two if it was actually consumed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWilliam Speechly (1735–1819), an English horticulturist and gardener to William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, was a pioneer of hot-house cultivation. His treatise on the pineapple, together with his \u003ci\u003eA Treatise on the Culture of the Vine\u003c\/i\u003e (1790), ranks among the most significant horticultural works published in Britain in the eighteenth century; in it, Speechly set out one of the first effective systems for pineapple cultivation in England, contributing to the eventual dramatic fall in their cost. He advocated careful temperature control – especially the avoidance of excessive heat during the winter months – the use of heated beds of oak leaves as a more economical alternative to tanner’s bark, and the systematic elimination of pests.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA Richard Bright, Esq. is listed as a subscriber, perhaps a relative of the L. Bright whose early ownership inscription appears on the title.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eESTC T63785. See Almeroth-Williams, ‘A Feast for the Senses’, University of Cambridge (2019) online.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSKU: \u003c\/strong\u003e2110857\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Henry Sotheran Limited","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":64741558550905,"sku":"2110857","price":475.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0045\/2178\/7426\/files\/2110857.jpg?v=1790769113","url":"https:\/\/sotherans.co.uk\/products\/speechly-william-treatise-on-the-culture-of-the-pine-apple-and-the-management-of-the-hot-house-together-with-a-description-of-every-species-of-insect-that-infest-hot-houses-with-effectual-methods-of-destroying-them","provider":"Sotheran's","version":"1.0","type":"link"}