R SSLIN, Eucharias

Kreuterbüch, von aller Kreuter, Gethier, Gesteine und Metal, Natur, nutz, unnd gebrauch. Mit aller derenn leblicher Abconterfeytunge. Distillier zeug und Bericht aller handt Kostbarliche Wasser zubrennen, halten und gebrauchen...

      Frankfurt, Christian Egenolff, 1536 Folio (307 x 204 mm), pp [xxiv] CCCXIX [5], with fine woodcut vignette and border on title, woodcut vignette on verso of title, woodcut vignette of a distilling on b6 verso, and 250 woodcuts in text; clean tear across A1 repaired without loss, a few marginal tears not affecting text, Bb3-5 misbound after Cc2, a few minor marginal stains, a single small wormhole throughout, small patch of worming on last five leaves affecting a few letters, generally a very attractive and large copy, in period-style blind-panelled pigskin over wooden boards, with clasps. £7500 Second edition of this title (first 1533), and extremely rare, with 11 more woodcuts than the earlier edition. This work was one of a series of popular vernacular herbals and manuals of domestic medicine, and also an egregious instance of multiple plagiarism by the enterprising publisher Christian Egenolff. This herbal appeared in a number of guises, under the authorship of Rösslin (also known as Rhodion; he was the city physician of Frankfurt), Lonitzer, and Egenolff. The text derives from a number of sources, including the Hortus sanitatis editions and various works of Brunschwig. The illustrious derive from Brunschwig (for the distillation apparatus), the Brunfels herbal with the Weiditz woodcuts (whose publisher sued Egenolff for copying the cuts), et al. There are also many woodcuts original to the Egenolff editions. Many of the cuts were made by Hans Sebald Beham, one of the best wood engravers of the time. See Nissen, who has made an attempt at unravelling Egenolffís sources. The title woodcut is described in detail by Hunt: ëHerb garden with man working on potted plants and vines at right background; sick-room scene with man in bed, two women nursing him, doctor holding flask, inset in design at left background; 5 men conferring in right foreground, one of them instructing a gardener and pointing up to a sickroom scene; tiered distilling apparatus at left foreground, man pounding herbs with pestle, and woman sorting herbs; man standing in round basin at center backgroundí. There are several woodcuts of stills and distilling scenes, and numerous woodcuts of minerals, apothecariesí apparatus and materia medica, animals, and plants. This is a rare edition; Hunt noting that the only other copy of this edition they could locate was the British Library copy. OCLC records, besides the Hunt copy, one at Ohio State Provenance: Horticultural Society of New York, Kenneth K. Mackenzie bequest, October 1934, with bookplate; Robert de Belder. Hunt 38; Hellman 25; Nissen BBI 1668; Benzing ëC. Egenolff & seine Verlagsproduktioní in Aus dem Antiquariat, n. 9, 1973