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Tag: Kreuterbuch

image of book bound in vellum and page with phoenix plant, man eating it and vomiting
Mar 16 2021

Loncier, Kreuterbuch… | 1587 German Herbal | March 2021 Book of the Month from the John Martin Rare Book Room @Hardin Library

Posted on March 16, 2021 by Sarah Andrews

ADAM LONICER (1528-1586) Kreuterbuch, kunstliche Conterfeytunge der Bäume, Stauden, Hecken, Kreuter, Getreyde, Gewürtze. Printed in Frankfort by Christian Egenolph, 1587. 382 numbered leaves (764 pages) with color illustrations. 31 cm tall.

image of book bound in vellum and page with phoenix plant, man eating it and vomiting

 
We know from other sources that Lonicer (also referenced as Lonitzer, Lonicerum, Lonicerus, or Loniceri) worked as a proofreader for his father-in-law, a German printer who specialized in producing herbals. He eventually went on to write his own works covering mathematics, medicine, and botany. Kreuterbuch… (originally titled in Latin, Naturalis historiae opus novum) was published in 1546 and, although much of it was not original to Lonicer, became a hit. The book saw several editions, including the 1587 edition described here. The last edition was printed in 1783.

The text covers much of the known natural world at the time and had a wide audience that included physicians, apothecaries, and both rural and urban householders. The emphasis is on how one uses animal, vegetable, and mineral substances in the production of medicinal, gastronomical, and household preparations. Lonicer provides us with one of the early descriptions of local flora, and, among his other accomplishments, he is one of the first to distinguish deciduous trees from conifers.

The most striking features of this book are its hundreds of hand-colored woodcuts. As one can imagine, coloring in each image is an intensive task and would have greatly increased the cost of the book. Because of this, many existing early printed herbals are found unpainted. The book was rebound at an unknown point in the 20th century with a soft, milky vellum (calfskin parchment) over pasteboard (sheets of paper pasted together to create a stiff board). The spine titling consists of black and red leather labels with gold tooling. These contrast nicely with the lighter cover.

The book also has excellent examples of conservation work, including the application of a thin, strong Japanese paper on the outer margin of the first leaf. This part of the leaf has been heavily used and is now damaged and brittle. The application of the paper support strengthens the edge and lessens the chance of further damage. This same paper was also to repair the inner margin between a few other leaves. The text block shows the staining, wear, and foxing (oxidation of iron particles in the paper) one would expect from a book of this age but is still in great condition. With proper care, it will have a happy, long life here at the John Martin Rare Book Room!

For more on Lonicer and other Herbals, check out the U. S. National Library of Medicine and the Edward Worth Library in Dublin.

If you or your group are interested in seeing this or other items mentioned in our newsletters, please contact Damien Ihrig at damien-ihrig@uiowa.edu to arrange a visit in person (one person) or over Zoom (one or more people).

 

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact our office in advance at damien-ihrig@uiowa.edu or 319-335-9154.

Posted in History of Medicine, John Martin Rare Book RoomTagged Adam Lonicer, book conservation, German herbal, Kreuterbuch, rare medical book
image of Duncan Stewart, white man, posing with rare book outside
Mar 16 2021

You cannot judge a book by its cover. The title page is another story.

Posted on March 16, 2021March 23, 2021 by Sarah Andrews

by Duncan Stewart, MA, MLIS, Rare Materials Cataloger, University of Iowa Libraries,
Adjunct Faculty, School of Library and Information Sciences, University of Iowa

image of Duncan Stewart, white man, posing with rare book outside
Duncan Stewart, MA, MLIS

The John Martin Rare Book Room (JMRBR) is filled with books of great medical historical value. But do you know how all those books get into the JMRBR? A book’s journey to the Rare Book Room may start as a donation or as a purchase from a rare book dealer. After being physically recorded as a new part of the collection, all books travel next to one of the University of Iowa Libraries’ rare book catalogers.

Catalogers ply their trade buried within library technical services departments. There they pore over uncatalogued books, comparing the book in hand to its donor or vendor descriptions, taking note of authors, how the leaves of paper were printed and bound, recording how many pages and illustrations there are, and spotting errors that make that book unique. Then catalog librarians weave these disparate threads of information into a single tapestry in the online catalog enabling scholars and other library patrons to discover a new and unique addition to the collection. A full essay on all aspects of cataloging rare books would be long and probably stupefying. However, this title page from a 16th-century herbal work on medicinal plants illustrates one step of rare book classification.

The full title is:
Kreuterbuch, kunstliche Conterfeytunge der Bäume, Stauden, Hecken, Kreuter, Getreyde, Gewürtze : mit eygentlicher Beschreibung derselben Namen, in sechserley Spraachen, nemlich Griechisch, Latinisch, Italianisch, Frantzösisch, Teutsch und Hispanisch und derselben Gestalt, natürlicher Krafft und Wirkung. Sampt künstlichem und artlichem Bericht des Distillierens. Item von fürnembsten Gethieren der Erden, Vögeln, und Fischen, dessgleichen von Metallen, Ertze, Edelgesteinen, Gummi, und gestandenen Säfften. Jetzo auffs fleissigst zum Letzten mal von neuwem ersehen, und durchauss an vielen Orten gebessert, auch weit über vorige Edition gemehret, mit vollkommenen nützlichert Registeren alles Innhalts / durch Adamum Lonicerum

Or loosely translated into English from 16th-century German:
Herbal book, an artful representation of trees, shrubs, hedges, herbs, grains, and spices. With detailed description and their names in six different languages, Greek, Latin, Italian, French, German, and Spanish, and with descriptions of their physical appearance, natural strength, and effects. Artfully collected into a report on distilling. As well as information about the most important animals of the earth, birds, fish, metals, ores, precious stones, saps, and juices. Now seen in greater detail than the previous edition, greatly improved, with useful tables of contents / by Adam Lonitzer.

The title page does not provide all the information needed, such as the number of pages, printing technique, or binding method, But the lengthy title conveys what the book is about, as well as where, when, and who created it. It also contains a wealth of information to begin an online catalog record. Details like the author’s name, which will be one way to find this book in the catalog. The details in the title help the cataloger determine subject headings to describe the book’s contents. And create a call number. The place, printer, and date at the foot of the title page offer details of book production in the western part of Germany in the late 16th century. The woodcut print demonstrates the intricate carving and laborious hand coloring lavished on illustrations in this text.

title page from herbal, gothic script, woodcut  The title page printed in red and black, the luxurious decoration, and the Gothic script all serve notice that this book is one of some importance. Also, the woodcut illustration depicts an image of men at work, especially in the important economic activity of distilling in Frankfurt am Main, which continues to this day. Thus, the title page is the foundation for the catalog record below.

Title Kreuterbuch,…
Author Lonicer, Adam 1528-1586
Subjects Botany — Pre-Linnean works
  Natural history Botany, Medical — Early works to 1800
  Medicinal plants
  Herbals
  Herbs
  Distillation
  Materia medica
  Vellum bindings (Binding)
  Encyclopedias — Germany — 1587
Description Binding: Modern vellum over pasteboard, raised bands, black and red morocco labels
  First published in Latin under title: Naturalis historiae opus novum.
  Foliated with pages numbered on recto
  Signatures: )(⁶ 3*⁴ 2*⁴ A-O⁶ P⁴ Q-Z⁶ a-z⁶ 2A-2E⁶ 2F⁴ 2A-2M⁶ 2N⁵
  “Five large and 13 small woodcut vignettes, and hundreds of woodcuts of plants, flowers, fruits, animals, minerals and gems, all with contemporary hand coloring.”–Vender catalog
  Title printed in red, guide words throughout
  Includes indexes
  References: Pritzel (2nd) 5599
Publisher Zu Franckfort : Bey Christian Egenolffs seligen Erben
Creation Date 1587
Format 14 unnumbered pages, CCCLXXXII, 3 unnumbered leaves : color illustrations ; 31 cm
Language German
Additional title Naturalis historiae opus novum

 

Posted in History of Medicine, John Martin Rare Book RoomTagged Adam Lonicer, cataloging, herbal book, Kreuterbuch, rare books

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