Ferdinand Bauer, Illustrationes florae Novae Hollandiae, London, Veneunt apud auctorem, 1813, Rare Books collection

Ferdinand Bauer accompanied Matthew Flinders on his circumnavigation of Australia in the Investigator in 1801. During the voyage, Bauer completed over 1500 drawings of Australian plants. This volume, issued after his return to London, comprises 15 engraved plates of Australian plants, each hand-coloured by Bauer himself. He subsequently abandoned the project – now recognised as a landmark in botanical illustration – due to lack of financial backing and returned to his native Austria.