Pteridomania was a Victorian craze for collecting and cultivating ferns. Inspired by books such as this Popular History of British Ferns by Thomas Moore, people travelled to the country to collect different species of fern that they brought home to add to herbaria (books of pressed plants) or to grow in terrariums. So popular was the plant that furniture, wallpaper and textiles with prominent fern motifs were produced.

Moore's Popular History of British Ferns was first published in 1851 with a second edition following in 1855. An abridged edition was produced in 1859. The copy in the Royal Library is the new edition of the abridged version and was printed in 1862. Moore also accompanied his handbooks with a monumental folio volume The Ferns of Great Britain and Ireland (RCIN 1074405) featuring plates printed using an innovative technique known as 'nature printing' pioneered by Henry Bradbury.

Such was the passion for ferns that many fragile ecosystems were damaged or destroyed by avid fern collectors and several species of fern were brought close to extinction.