Baron Ferdinand von Mueller was a prominent botanist who held positions of Victorian Government Botanist and Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne. Mueller travelled widely, collecting botanical specimens and describing many new species. This set of wood books was exhibited in the Tasmanian International Exhibition, held at Launceston in 1891–1892. Designed by Mueller, the books represent different timbers in both a polished and natural state. Each book's title gives the scientific name and the taxonomist who described the species. Mueller first displayed wood books in the London Exhibition in 1862. He continued to make and display wood books in national and international exhibitions and at the end of each exhibition he generously donated the books to a museum in the city where the exhibition was held.