Romeyn B. Hough. The Woodbook. The Complete Plates

Even today, his work is considered an astonishing and unique achievement: Between 1888 and 1913, Romeyn Beck Hough published American Woods, which originally consisted of 14 volumes containing mounted, real veneer samples— a work of breathtaking beauty that set standards for the study of trees and wood species. The carefully reproduced facsimile Woodbook showcases the patterns of all the species listed in the original volumes; for this purpose, TASCHEN acquired one of the extremely rare original volumes in very good condition with only minimal damage to the woodcuts. Each of the trees, arranged alphabetically, is represented by three cross-sections (radial, horizontal, and tangential), which highlight the characteristics of the grain as well as the richness of colors and textures among the many different wood species. Additionally, this Special Edition includes lithographs by Charles Sprague Sargent, depicting the leaves and nuts of most trees, along with brief texts describing the geographical origin of the trees, their external features, and their uses.