Herbal de Anonymous - 1500s

Good copy of a herbal, possibly German from the late 16th century

Lacks title page, first 24 pages of text, first two pages of Latin index, pages 49-64, 321-328 and 385~391.

With over 620 woodblock engravings of medical plants, herbs, fruits and vegetables in contemporary hand-colour. No text, but names of plants in Greek, Latin, French, Spanish, Italian and German at the top of the plate. Index in Latin (missing A to D, starts with Eruum), Italian, French, Spanish and German.

Perhaps a later pirate copy of Adam Lonicer's Herbarum, arborum, fruticum, frumentorum ac leguminum, Egenolph, Frankfurt, 1546. Lonicer (1528-1586) married printer Christian Egenolph's daughter and became a partner in the firm. From 1551, the firm published herbals under Lonicer's name.

Early editions had the plant names printed Latin in Roman and Italic type, and German in Schwabacher type. This copy has up to six plant names in Latin, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Greek.

Annotated with ink manuscript captions in English by 19th century owners, Miss Hannah Atkinson and Mavis Gibson c.1840.

Bound in full vellum, repaired with vellum at top and base of spine, red leather title label, spine sewn with vellum cord, interior with usual staining, foxing and age toning, but with good impressions of the woodcuts and vivid contemporary hand colour.