ARPAD PLESCH’S LIBRARY ‘LA LÉONINA’, MONTE-CARLO, 1954–1955 THREE-VOLUME CATALOGUE : I. BOTANIQUE, II. CATALOGUE GÉNÉRAL, III. CURIOSA In French.

I. Botanique Bibliothèque Arpad Plesch, La Léonina Monte-Carlo, 1954. The first volume of a three-volume catalogue devoted to Árpád Plesch’s library at his residence, ‘La Léonina’, dedicated to his exceptional collection of botanical books. In-8°, paperback, cover printed on parchment and illustrated with a facsimile of Árpád Plesch’s signature. half-title, title page, 257 pp. 23 × 14.5 cm II. Catalogue Général Bibliothèque Arpad Plesch, La Léonina Monte-Carlo, 1955. Catalogue compiled by Jacques Pley. In-8°, paperback, cover printed on parchment and illustrated with a facsimile of Árpád Plesch’s signature. 1 blank page, half-title, title page, 512 pp. 23.7 × 15.2 cm Spine detached. III. Curiosa Bibliothèque La Léonina Monte-Carlo, 1955. The third volume of Árpád Plesch’s library catalogue, devoted to curiosities, compiled by his librarian, Jacques Pley. In-8°, paperback, cover printed on parchment and illustrated with a sun motif bearing the inscription ‘La Léonina’. 1 blank page, half-title, title page, 155 pp. 23.7 × 14.8 cm Rare. Dr. ÁRPÁD PLESCH (1889–1974) was a businessman, bibliophile and collector, renowned for his outstanding collection of botanical works, considered one of the largest of its kind in the world, as well as for his collection of curiosities. His library was dispersed at auction in London in 1975. He also compiled ‘Essais d’acclimatation de plantes tropicales en France’, an annotated catalogue documenting 3,500 species and varieties of tropical plants acclimatised at the ‘La Léonina’ experimental station in Beaulieu-sur-Mer. The villa, owned by Plesch and his wife, was surrounded by an extensive botanical garden they had commissioned.