Botany — A123: Alte Drucke, Handschriften, Kunstwissenschaft
William Curtis was a British botanist and entomologist, editor of the oldest botanical publication in Great Britain.
Curtis became interested in natural history in his youth, and at the age of 25 had already published "Instructions for the Collection and Preservation of Insects", particularly butterflies. In 1779 he founded his own London botanical garden at Lambeth and published Flora Londinensis (1777-1798), a 6-volume work on urban nature.
In 1787 Curtis began publishing the later popular Botanical Magazine, which also featured hand-colored plates by artists. This magazine has changed its name several times over time, but is still continued by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, as a publication for those interested in horticulture, ecology or botanical illustration. Interestingly, the magazine was entirely hand-colored until 1948.
Jan Kops is a Dutch agronomist, botanist and publisher of thematic journals.
In his youth, Kops was interested in botany, but had to study to become a priest. He soon became disillusioned with a career as a preacher and took up his favorite occupation. The fruit of his botanical research was the first volume of the Flora of Batavia, published in 1800. He was engaged in the task of converting the dunes into agricultural land.
Kops great importance to the country's agriculture lies mainly in his work as the first Dutch agricultural official. He possessed great efficiency and great perseverance. On Kops's initiative, the first Dutch agricultural journal, Magazijn van Vaderlandschen Landbouw, appeared between 1803 and 1814, which he himself edited.
