Turner, William

Folio (10 1/2 x 6 3/4 in.; 267 x 172 mm). Title within woodcut architectural border incorporating the royal arms and the initials E R (McKerrow and Ferguson 72), text in black letter woodcuts of approximately 170 plants, ornately stylized 13-line fraktur woodcut initials, numerous decorative woodcut initials throughout; A1–2 and quires O–P browned, some text browning, one woodcut stained (B1v), a few headlines shaved. Quarter brown morocco folding case.  

[bound with]: The Seconde Part of Guilliam Turners Herball Wherein Are Conteyned the Names of Herbes in Greke, Latin, Duche, Frenche ... Here unto Is Joyned Also a Booke of the Bath of Baeth of Englande, and of the Vertues of the Same wyth Diverse Other Bathes Most Holsum and Effectuall, Both in Almany and Englande. Collen: Printed by [the heirs of] Arnold Birckman, 1562. General title-page with printer's woodcut device, separate title-page for the "Booke of the Bath" with a more elaborate printer's device and separate register and foliation, text in black letter, 266 woodcuts of plants in the Herball, woodcut initials; corner tear (U5) in Herball touching the catchword, also lacking the errata (2G1,2), some text browning and worm tracks in lower inside margin of both parts, marginal dampstaining to the Herball.



[and with]: Hieronymous Brunschwig.  Most Excellent and Perfecte Homish Apothecarye or Homely Physick Booke, for all the Grefes and Diseases of the Bodye (trans. John Hollybush). Collen: Printed by [the heirs of] Arnold Birckman, 1561. Elaborate printer's device on title-page, text in black letter, woodcut initials; moderate text browning, dampstaining in quires f–h, h1 remargined all around, lacks final blank.

Part I: STC 24365; ESTC S102021; Henrey 366; Hunt 65. Part II: STC 24366; Henrey 367.  Brunschwig: STC 13433; ESTC S122407  

First editions of  volumes 1 and 2 of Turner's Herball, without the Thirde Parte (Cologne, 1568), which sometimes accompanies them, bound with the first and only edition of Hollybush's translation of Brunschwig's Apoteck für den gemainen Man. Known as the "Father of British botany," Turner was the first English botanist to follow to emulate contemporary Continental botanists who continued the work of classification and publishing initiated by Brunfels and Fuchs. His New Herball was the first scientific English botany, containing descriptions of English plants based on Turner's direct observations, noting many differences particular to British flora. The woodcuts in Parts I and II were copied from the cuts used in M. Isingrin's octavo editions of Fuchs's Primi de Stirpium Historia Commentariorum (Basel, 1545 and later editions).