‎HORNEMANN, J.W.‎
‎Forsøg til en dansk oeconomisk Plantelære. - [PIONEERING TREATISE ON DANISH ECONOMIC BOTANY]‎

‎Kiøbenhavn, Popp, 1796. 8vo. In contemporary half calf with gilt lettering to spine. Light wear to extremities. Internally with light occassional browning, but generally a good copy. (6), 730 pp.‎

Reference : 62486

‎Rare first edition of Hornemann’s pioneering treatise on Danish economic botany - the earliest systematic attempt to classify native Danish plants based on their practical use in agriculture, horticulture, and industry. Issued as the result of a prize essay competition held by the newly founded Naturhistorieselskab (Natural History Society), the work marked a turning point in the practical application of botanical knowledge in Denmark. Jens Wilken Hornemann (1770–1841) later became one of Denmark’s most influential botanists. Trained under Martin Vahl at the University of Copenhagen and the Naturhistorieselskab he was appointed lecturer at the Botanical Garden in 1801, and succeeded Vahl as editor of Flora Danica in 1804. Hornemann's Plantelære remained the principal Danish handbook of economic botany until Johan Lange’s mid-century publications. As such, it played a foundational role in the systematization and dissemination of applied botanical knowledge in Denmark during the Enlightenment and early 19th century.‎