GREGOR REISCH (ca. 1467-1525). Margarita philosophica. 2nd ed. [Freiburg?: Johannes Schottus, 1504].

Reisch was a Carthusian prior at Freiburg and confessor to Emperor Maximilian I, as well as assistant to Erasmus.  Margarita philosophica, might be called the first modern encyclopedia. Its twelve divisions cover the trivium, the quadrivium, and the natural and moral sciences.

The illustrations are fine examples of wood-block cutting, and include music, a large folding map of the Eurasian continent and parts of Africa, and astronomical, astrological, and zoological figures.  The book so popular sixteen editions were made in the 17th century.  This edition, the second edition, was preceded by the first edition of 1503.

You may view this work in the John Martin Rare Book Room, Hardin Library for the Health Sciences. Make a gift to the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences by donating online or setting up a recurring gift with The University of Iowa Foundation.