WATSON, William "Cactus Culture for Amateurs" [L. Upcott Gill, 1889]

WATSON, William.  Cactus Culture for Amateurs: Being Descriptions of the Various Cactuses Grown in this Country, With Full and Practical Instructions for Their Successful Cultivation.

London: L. Upcott Gill, 1889. Profusely Illustrated. 8" x 5.5", 246pp + 14 ads with a foldout, illustrated frontispiece. Bright green cloth with gilt titling and intricate colored pictorial cactus design. Gilt spine titling as well. Bookplate inside front cover and author's obituary pasted on FFEP. "170" written on lower spine in black, head/tail of spine cloth rubbed, and front hinge starting some looseness (but uncracked). Small tear in edge of rear free endpaper. Textblock clean and unmarked. Very Good+.

William Watson (1858–1925) was a Scottish botanist and horticulturist best known for his long career at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, where he rose to the post of Curator. He contributed extensively to botanical literature, especially on cultivated plants, and co-authored several influential works, including revisions of Kew’s official Index Kewensis. Watson was recognized for his expertise in taxonomy and horticultural practice, helping shape Kew’s reputation as a leading center of botanical research in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.