Kreuterbuch
Kreuterbuch : kunstliche Conterfeytunge der Baume, Stauden, Hecken, Kreuter, Getreyde, Gewurtze : mit eigentlicher Beschreibung derselben Namen, in sechserley Spraachen, nemlich Griechisch, Latinisch, Italianisch, Frantzosisch, Teutsch und Hispanisch, und derselben Gestalt, naturlicher Krafft und Wirkung : sampt kunstlichen und artlichem Bericht dess Distillierens : item von furnembsten Gethieren der Erden, Vogeln, und Fischen : desgleichen von Metallen, Ertze, Edelgestein, Gummi, und gestandenen Safften ...
The Kreuterbuch of Adam Lonicer (1528-1586), first published in 1557, is an early example of a bestseller—the book remained in print in various forms through 1783, which is a testament to its popular appeal. Although the name Kreuterbuch literally translates to “herb book,” and most of it is indeed about plants, a great deal of the book is devoted to describing the natures and uses of animals, metals, and gemstones. Lonicer, a mathematics professor by trade, married into the prominent German printing family Egenolph in 1554, which was famous (and sometimes infamous) for printing herbals like the Kreuterbuch. The Egenolphs were involved in one of the first copyright disputes for pirating an earlier herbal by Otto Brunfels. Indeed, Lonicer’s own herbal “made generous use” of woodcuts copied from other German herbals, which meant that it could be sold for a lower price. This copy, a 1582 edition, features hand coloring, which would have entailed an extra charge.
This book features a late 16th-century full-leather binding sewn on five cords, with a red gold-tooled label on the spine. The first four cords on the front cover are exposed at the gutter. The textblock has been damaged by water and mold. There are areas of loss and a maze of previous repairs using both blank and printed materials. Conservators will retain the previous repairs but stabilize the pages by filling the areas of loss and repairing tears.
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Adoption Type: Preserve for the Future
