Field Book of American Wild Flowers by F. Schuyler Mathews

This is a vintage hardcover field guide titled 'Field Book of American Wild Flowers' authored by F. Schuyler Mathews, revised and edited by Norman Taylor, and published as a Putnam Nature Field Book. The physical object features a distinctive paper dust jacket dominated by a bright yellow and black color scheme. The cover displays prominent black typography reading 'F. Schuyler Mathews' FIELD BOOK OF American Wild Flowers', alongside a circular central graphic depicting orange-yellow daylily-type blossoms with green foliage against a light blue background. Below the illustration, additional black text reads 'PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED IN COLOR AND BLACK AND WHITE', 'Revised and Edited by NORMAN TAYLOR', 'A popular, dependable and convenient guide to the wild flowers of Eastern and Central North America.', and 'A PUTNAM NATURE FIELD BOOK' inside a yellow banner graphic at the bottom edge. Visible condition issues include noticeable shelf wear, edge chipping, creasing, and paper loss particularly at the top-left corner of the dust jacket and along the edges, consistent with moderate handling and age. The identification in the name rests directly upon the legible printed text on the cover. Additional context provided by the owner claims a copyright year of 1955, which remains unverified by physical inspection of the title page from the provided photo.

Based on the provided image, I have examined this vintage hardcover book titled 'Field Book of American Wild Flowers' by F. Schuyler Mathews, revised by Norman Taylor. The owner identifies this as having a copyright year of 1955, which remains an unverified claim as I cannot examine the internal copyright page from the photo. Based on what I can see, the book retains its dust jacket, though it exhibits noticeable condition issues including shelf wear, edge chipping, creasing, and paper loss. I must treat the edition and date as a working assumption based on the owner's notes. Comparable mid-century Putnam Nature Field Books with significant dust jacket wear typically sell in the $10 to $25 range as reading copies or decorative vintage items. The valuation assumes the owner's claim of a 1955 copyright is accurate. In-person inspection would be needed to verify the exact printing, edition, and internal condition, all of which could impact the final valuation. A piece lacking its dust jacket entirely would typically sell for less, while a pristine example might command slightly more.