Milestones of Science Books

DALECHAMPS, Jacques.

Historia generalis plantarum, in libros XVIII. per certas classes artificiose digesta, haec, plusquam mille imaginibus plantarum locupletior superioribus, omnes propemodum quae ab antiquis scriptoribus, Graecis, Latinis, Arabibus, nominantur. .

Lyon: Rouillé Guillaume, 1586.

1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Item #002958

1586-1587. Two parts in two volumes. Folio (375 x 250 mm). [12], 1095 [1]; [2], 1097-1922, [72], 36, [4] pp. Text in Latin and Greek, title to each part in printed in red and black and with large printer's woodcut device, about 2700 woodcut botanical illustrations in text, floral and historiated woodcut initials and headpieces. Bound in contemporary pigskin, spines with 4 raised bands ink lettered in manuscript. Bindings expertly restored by Louis Rietmann, St. Gallen (sticker to final flyleaf), rebacked with the panels of original spines preserved, corners repaired, new endpapers, some soiling and browning of vellum. Title to vol. II lined with archival tissue to verso and repaired at upper outer corner, some browning of text (mostly to vol. II) and occasional light marginal dampstaining and spotting, occasional worm holes to few leaves in vol. I and few worm holes throughout vol. II affecting a few letters, tiny burn hole in leaves a4 and Y1 affecting two letters of text each recto and verso, burn hole in blank fore-margin of leaves 3e5-6, ink smudge on p.976. All in all a handsome set in original bindings, collated complete. ----

Nissen BBI 446; Baudrier IX, p. 397-398; Pritzel 2035; Stafleu-C. 1297 - RARE FIRST EDITION of this profusely illustrated botanical work. Although published anonymously it was the work of Jacques Dalechamps, assisted by Jean Bauhin and Jean Desmoulins. The illustrations have partly been borrowed from the works of Clusius, Dodonaeus, Cristobal Acosta's Tractado de los drogas . . . de las Indias Orientales, 1535, and others. (Nissen). Much more meritorious, especially because of the completeness, including all of the known plants at that time, especially those of the New World "(Nissen p. 64). "The importance of the original edition, in spite of its faults, is undeniable. In its time it was the most complete collection of all plants." (Meyer, Geschichte der Botanik, p. 397ff). "Il y a 2686 (1731?) Mauvaises fig. en bois., la plupart cipiees de Lobel dont 400 aont deux ou trois fois repetees." (Graesse II, 320). - Visit our website for additional images and information.

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