Armorial bookplate of the Earl of Rosebery on the fp. The first edition (Sylva) was published in 1664, and has the distinction of being the first official publication of the Royal Society. Later editions contain additional material. John Evelyn (1620-1706) is well known for his Diary. In 1652, he commenced working on the garden at Sayes Court, which began his interest in botany and garden history. This led to his writing the Elysium Britannicum, an encyclopedic history of gardens and gardening practices. Evelyn's pioneering work on tree cultivation (Sylva, 1664) as well as his work on soils (A Philosophical Discourse on Earth, 1676 - entitled Terra: A Philosophical Discourse in later editions) were outgrowths of Elysium. Meant primarily to encourage tree planting after the devastation of the Civil War, Sylva was a learned work addressed more to gentleman than to foresters. In it, Evelyn introduced the word "avenues" into the language of landscaping. He was one of the virtuosi who formed the Georgical committee of what became the Royal Society in 1661. Long dismissed as a dabbler in the sciences, Evelyn is now recognized as a scholar and participant in the reception of the new science of the seventeenth century (Oxford DNB).