Sylva, or A Discourse of Forest-Trees and the Propagation of Timber

Sylva, or A Discourse of Forest-Trees and the Propagation of Timber in His Majesty's Dominions
title page of first edition (1664)
AuthorJohn Evelyn
SubjectForestry
Published1662 (1662) (as a paper)
1664 (1664) (as a book; by John Martyn)

Sylva, or A Discourse of Forest-Trees and the Propagation of Timber in His Majesty's Dominions by the English writer John Evelyn was first presented in 1662 as a paper to the Royal Society. It was published as a book two years later in 1664, and is recognised as one of the most influential texts on forestry ever published.[1]

A second edition with new engravings was published in 1670, and a third edition in 1679 included a geological essay by Evelyn. An expanded fourth edition was published in 1706, with the new segments specifically covering fruit trees and the production of cider.

Editions

Opening from the Royal Society's copy of the 1664 1st book edition
  • 1662 Sylva was first delivered to the Royal Society on 15 October 1662.
  • 1664 Sylva—First Edition; printed by John Martyn for the Royal Society, and the first book published after the granting of their Royal Charter as publishers in 1662.[2][3]
This edition contained the text delivered at the Royal Society 15 October 1662, with two annexes: Pomona ("An Appendix concerning Fruit-trees in relation to CIDER; The Making and several ways of Ordering it") and Kalendarium Hortense ("Or Gard‘ners Almanac; Directing what he is to do Monthly throughout the Year").
The assignment to King Charles II is dated 29 May 1663.
The text of Sylva is 120 pages; Pomona has 20 pages, followed by several texts concerning Cider (pp. 21–50), and the Kalendarium Hortense (pp. 51–83).
  • 1670 Sylva Second Edition. Various engravings added.[4]
  • 1679 Sylva Third Edition. Included an essay from Evelyn about soils: Terra, a Philosophical Essay of Earth, being a Lecture in Course.
  • 1706 Silva Fourth Edition, now spelt Silva, contained new sections Dendrologia, Pomona; Or, An Appendix concerning Fruit-Trees in relation to CIDER and Kalendarium Hortense. This was the last edition during Evelyn's lifetime.

Posthumous editions

  • 1729 Silva edition.

Five editions were edited by Alexander Hunter (1729-1809):

  • Silva 1776[5]
  • 1786
  • 1801
  • 1812
  • 1825

Recent reproductions

  • A facsimile of the first edition (1664) was produced in 1972 by the publisher Scolar Press.
  • The fourth edition (1706) was republished in 1908 by Doubleday & Co. with a foreword by John Nisbet. This 1908 edition was republished in facsimile by Kessinger Publishing (30 Nov 2007).[6]
  • A new edition by Gabriel Hemery with illustrations by Sarah Simblet is published by Bloomsbury to coincide with the 350th anniversary in 2014 of the book's first publication. It is titled The New Sylva: a discourse of forest and orchard trees for the twenty-first century.[7] The authors have their own blog following the book's creation: sylva.org.uk

See also

References

  1. ↑ John Evelyn, Sylva, Or A Discourse of Forest Trees ... with an Essay on the Life and Works of the Author by John Nisbet, Fourth Edition (1706), reprinted London: Doubleday & Co., 1908, V1, p. lxv; online edn, March 2007 , accessed 29 Dec 2012. This source (John Nisbet) states: "There can be no doubt that John Evelyn, both during his own lifetime and throughout the two centuries which have elapsed since his death in 1706, has exerted more individual influence, through his charming Sylva, ... than can be ascribed to any other individual." Nisbet adds that "Evelyn was by no means the first [author] who wrote on [forestry]. That honour belongs to Master Fitzherbert, whose Boke of Husbandrie was published in 1534" (V1, p. lxvi).
  2. ↑ In 1662 the Society was permitted by Royal Charter to publish and the first two books it produced were John Evelyn's Sylva and Micrographia by Robert Hooke. See: "Nullius in Verba: The Royal Society's Two Earliest Books". University of Melbourne. 2014-02-14. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  3. ↑ Sylva 1664 is online available at Biodiversity Heritage Library, and a different copy at Internet Archive.
  4. ↑ Sylva 1670: OCLC 1442643299. Online edition available:
  5. ↑ Silva 1776: OCLC 79525911. See also "Silva 1776 for sale". Peter Harrington, London. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  6. ↑ John Evelyn, Sylva, Or A Discourse of Forest Trees, 2 vols., Fourth Edition (1706), reprinted London: Doubleday & Co., 1908, V1 pp. 452, V2 pp. 287. This 1908 edition was republished in facsimile by Kessinger Publishing (30 Nov 2007), ISBN 978-0-548-78350-4.
  7. ↑ Bloomsbury Publishing http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/the-new-sylva-9781408835449
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