The Observer's Book of British Wild Flowers (1937)

The Observer's Book of British Wild Flowers by W.J. Stokoe was the second Observer's Book, published by Frederick Warne in 1937 after British Birds. It describes two hundred British species with 220 illustrations, 100 of them in colour, in 224 pages.

What to check:

• Title: The Observer's Book of British Wild Flowers. Later editions were retitled Wild Flowers.
• Contents: two hundred species, 220 illustrations, 100 in colour, 224 pages.
• Jacket: an early plain jacket with squiggly lines at the top, from 1937.

Like its companion volume, Wild Flowers stayed in print for decades. Dealers regularly offer later printings of the 1937 text as first editions. Warne's printer's code, printed in the book, records when each printing was made and is the best way to date a copy.

The jacket matters more than anything else. Jackets went through many variants, and later jackets carry higher prices, so check the flap. A copy without its jacket is worth very little.

The series number 2 was not printed on the early books; it is the number collectors use.

Sources: Wikipedia, collectingbooksandmagazines.com, MW Books and dealer listings.