The Herbal or, The General History of Plants, by John Gerard. Imprinted at London by Edm. Bollifant, for Bonham and John Norton, MDXCVII (1597).
FIRST EDITION OF ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT HERBALS EVER PUBLISHED' AND THE MOST INFLUENTIAL ENGLISH HERBAL, FEATURING THE FIRST DEPICTION OF A POTATO!
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“The first edition of Gerard’s herbal held the field without a competitor for more than a generation." (Arber, Herbals). The publication "gripped the imagination of the English garden-loving world, and now, after the lapse of three hundred years, it still retains its hold on us. There are English-speaking people the world over who may know nothing of any other, but at least by name they know Gerard's Herbal" (Rohde, p. 98).
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Provenance:
Ink inscription reading "Dorothy Cotton her book of the gift of Robt Lord Viscount Killorrey:"
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Size: 124 x 342 mm (approx.)
Condition:
[1ff., A2, B1-B4, 4ff., 5G1-5I4, 2ff., A1-2G2 (pp.1-468), 2F3 (pp.453-454), 2G4-2G5) (pp.471-474), 2F6 (pp.459-460), 2G7-4Q1 (pp.477-1318), 4Q3-4V6 (pp.1321-1392), 5A1-5D2, 1ff.]
Mostly complete, lacking a few leaves as typical, full details below. Rebound half navy calf over navy cloth backed boards with gilt title, author, and date to the spine in compartments between raised bands. Spine sunned. Binding rubbed and scuffed. Both boards attached with minor wear to joints and hinges; hinge cracked between preliminary blanks. Page edges toned and foxed. Endpapers replaced. First few leaves, until the start of the main text, reattached and repaired with some small losses of text. Text block fairly clean with light edge toning, occasional foxing, and some occasional coloured in plates. Some of the ink from the coloured plates has seeped through to the other side or transferred to the page opposite. Occasional marks, very minor wormholing, and ink inscriptions including a manicule. Generally a great example of this first edition with a huge number of beautiful botanical illustrations throughout.
Lacking the title page. Pp.61 misprinted as 63. Bottom corner of X1 (pp.321/322) torn with no loss of text and with only a small corner of the illustration lacking. Small closed edge tear to 2C5 (pp.409/410). Lacking 2G3 (pp.469/470) and in its place is a duplicate page of 2F3 (pp.453/454). Lacking 2G6 (pp.475/476) and in its place is a duplicate of 2F6 (pp.456/460). pp.671 misprinted as 681. Pp.677-679 misprinted as 687-689. Pp.680 page numbering crossed out and written in ink is 680. Pp.682-683 misprinted as 692-693. Small closed edge tear to 3E6 (pp.811/812), not affecting any text. Small mole to the marginalia of 3N5 (pp.937/938), not affecting any text. Pp.949 misprinted as 945. Pp.951-954 misprinted as 947-950. Pp.956 misprinted as 946. Pp.960-962 misprinted as 956-958. Pp.671 misprinted and corrected with ink. Pp.1065 misprinted as 1056. Pp.1097 misprinted as 1105. Pp.1171 misprinted as 1113. Closed edge tear to 4L2 (pp.1239/1240), not affecting any text. Pp.1242 misprinted as 1234. Pp.1249 misprinted as 1294. Pp.1277 misprinted as 1772. Small closed edge tear to 4O2 (pp.1287/1288). Pp.1289 misprinted as 1291. Small closed edge tear to 4O4 (pp.1291/1292). Lacking 4Q2 (pp.1319/1320). Small corner tear to 4Q6 (pp. 1327/1328). Small closed tears to 4Q7 (pp.1329/1330), some affecting text but still easily legible. Part of a subheading on pp.1333 is crossed out and a new one is written in ink above. Pp. 1366 misprinted as 1356. Pp.1368 misprinted as 1386. Small edge tears with a small loss to the corner of 4V1 (pp.1381/1382), not affecting any text. Small edge tear to 5A1 with loss, not affecting any text. 5D2 bound the wrong way around but present. Corner repair to the last leaf of the text block.
* Some preliminary and rear complimentary leaves lacking, please refer to the collation above and compare it to the collations provided by OCLC. The text should end on 5I4.
[Short-Title Catalogue of Books Printed in England, Scotland, & Ireland 1475-1640 by Pollard and Redgrave 11750; OCLC 14166389, 960102773].
