A Publication History of John Evelyn’s Sylva. Or A Discourse Of Forest Trees, and the Propagation of Timber I His Majesties Dominions
Prepared by John Dargavel from:
1664–1908 | Sir Geoffrey Keynes, John Evelyn: A Study in Bibliophily with a Bibliography of his Writings (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1968). |
1970–2020 | Library and internet searches. |
Evelyn series
The first four editions were prepared by John Evelyn. The fourth edition was published a few months after his death. Differences between the first three editions mainly concern illustrations and the addition of poems. Evelyn revised and enlarged the fourth edition from 281 to 374 pages. The fifth edition is a reprint of the fourth without its frontispiece.
Sylva was bound with short books also by Evelyn:
- Pomona: or an Appendix concerning Fruit Trees in relation to Cider: The Making and several ways of Ordering it— all editions.
- Kalendarium Hortense: or, Gard’ners Almanac: Directing what is he to do Monthly— all editions (also published separately).
- Terra: a Philosophical Discourse of Earth — from third edition (also published separately).
- Aceteria, a Discourse of Sallets — from fourth edition.
Date | Edition | Place of publication and Publisher |
1664 | 1st | (London: Martyn and Allestry) |
1670 | 2nd | (London: Martyn and Allestry) |
1679 | 3rd | (London: Martyn) |
1706 | 4th | spelled Silva (London: Scott and others) |
1729 | 5th | (London: Walthoe and others) |
Hunter series
Dr Alexander Hunter (1729–1809) prepared an extensively annotated copy of Sylva in two volumes, apparently based on all five editions of the Evelyn series. It proved popular and four further editions were published, two of them posthumously.
1776 | H 1st | (York: Ward) |
1786 | H 2nd | (York: Ward) |
1801 | H 3rd | (York: Wilson and Spence) |
1812 | H 4th | (York: Wilson and Spence) |
1825 | H 5th | (London: Colburn) |
Mitchell abridged
J. Mitchell produced Dendrologia; or, a Treatise of Forest Trees, with Evelyn’s Silva revised, Corrected and Abridged. Keynes considered that, ‘The work may be described as being based on Evelyn’s Silva rather than as an abridgement’.
1827 | (Keighly: Aked) |
Reprints, facsimiles and microfilms
1908 | 4th edn | Reprint | (London: Doubleday) 2 vols With an Essay on the Life and Works of the Author by John Nisbet. |
1970 | 1st | Microcard | (New York: Readex) |
1972 | 1st | Facsimile | (Menston: Scolar Press) |
1975 | 1st | Microfilm | (Ann Arbor: Michigan University Microfilms) |
1977 | 2nd | Microfilm | (Ann Arbor: Michigan University Microfilms) |
1979 | 5th | Facsimile | (London: Stobart) |
1995 | 1st | Reprint | (Woodbridge: UK, Boydell) |
2001 | 4th | Facsimile of 1908 reprint | (Brough, UK: Trollius) 1 vol. includes 2 vols of 1908 edn. |
2008 & 2009 | ? | Facsimile | (Charleston, SC: BiblioBazaar) & (United States: Echo Library) |
2013 | 4th | Facsimile of 1908 reprint | (Cambridge University Press), 2 vols. |
Internet era
Scanned editions of Sylva available to download from the internet, directly or through libraries. Some libraries are provided with editions through distributors. Some examples are shown here (URLs accessed 18 October 2020):
1st | Open Library, available directly https://openlibrary.org/books/OL13518723M/Sylva |
2nd | Early English Books Online, available directly https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A38811.0001.001?view=toc and through libraries, e.g. https://search-proquest-com.virtual.anu.edu.au/eebo/docview/2240952833/12495910 |
3rd | Early English Books Online, available through libraries, e.g. https://search-proquest-com.virtual.anu.edu.au/eebo/docview/2240961998 |
1908 reprint of 4th edn. | Project Gutenberg, available directly https://www.gutenberg.org/files/20778/20778-h/20778-h.htm |