[Ortus sanitatis].

Imprint from external sources and from manuscript leaf bound in at front of volume in place of a title page and colophon: "Hortus Sanitatis Liber de herbis, Animalibus, Avibus, Piscibus, Lapidibus etc. cum eorum figuris Pol. Charact. Goth: - in sine collectum et elaboratura intelligibili charactere, propiis impensis, Jacobus Meydenbach civis Morguntinus luculentissime impressit etc. in inclyta civitate Moguntina, in qua ars et scientia haec subtilissima characterisandi seu imprimendi fuit primitus inoenta. Die Jovis, Vicesima tertia Mensis Iunii, Moguntiae 1491. Origine della Stampa di Orlandi, pag. 340"

Colophon, lacking in Library copy, reads: ".... Qeum quidem librum omni dilige[n]tia collectum [et] elaboratum. intelligibili caractere proprijs impensis Iacobus meydenbach ciuis Moguntinus lucule[n]tissime impressit ... Impressum est autem hoc ip[su]m in inclita ciuitate Moguntina ... in qua nobilissima ciuitate [et] ars ac scientia hec subtilissima caracterisandi seu imprimendi fuit primu[m] inueta ... Anno salutis Millesimo Quadringentesimo Nonagesimo primo. Die vero Iouis vicesima tercia mensis Iunij"

The "Tractatus de Animalibus vitam in terris ducentium", "Tractatus de Auibus" and "Tractatus de Urinis" have special title pages; the word "ducentium" on Tractatus de Animalibus altered (by hand?) to read "ducentibus"

Chancery folio.
Black Letter text printed in 2 columns (prelims. printed in 3).
48 lines per column.
With initials, spaces and headlines throughout.
With printed guide-letters, except in the "Tractatus de Herbis".
Without foliation and catchwords

Signatures: A-B⁸ C-Z⁸̇̇⁻⁶ a-l⁶̇̇⁻⁸ ²M⁸ n-z⁸̇̇⁻⁶ [et]⁸ aa-hh⁶̇̇⁻⁸ ii-ll⁶ [chi]⁸ ²v⁶ ²A⁸ ²B-²E⁶. Last leaf E6 unsigned. Leaf A4 unsigned; leaf n unsigned; leaf v1 unsigned, leaves v2-v3 signed "v j" and "v ij"; leaf ee2 unsigned; gathering [chi] signed on [chi2]-[chi4] as follows: "ij", "iij" and "iiij"; leaves ²v1-²v3 signed "v", "vj" and "vij".

Initials supplied in red; capital strokes and underlinings supplied in red; woodcuts coloured in reds, greens, yellows, and browns; colouring fairly crude throughout all sections, lacking in variation of colour, particularly in De Animalibus, De Auibus and De Piscibus (e.g. woodcuts at foot of De Herbis chapter 447, at head of De Animalibus chapter 16 and at foot of chapter 129, at foot of De Auibus chapter 11, etc.), and incomplete or only partially complete in some instances (e.g. woodcuts at foot of De Herbis chapter 23, head of chapter 391, etc.); minimal variation in colours and areas incomplete in woodcuts in De Lapidibus, but generally executed with more care, except woodcut at head of chapter 111

Library copy includes full-page woodcuts preceding the chapters in each section: De Animalibus - three men observing eight animals in a zoo; De Avibus - two men observing birds in front of a city; De Piscibus - two men on the banks of a river filled with fish, a monkfish and a mermaid; De Lapidus - four jewellers sitting at tables selling their wares to a crowd of six, with two men standing at a table of jewels in the background; De Urinis - four physicians examining a bottle of urine in an apothecary, while three apprentices are distracted by two other apprentices fighting; Tabula sup Tractatu de herbis - two doctors with seven sick people, including 2 children; plus, 1066 smaller woodcuts of plants (530), animals (164), birds (122), fish (106), and precious stones (144).

Library copy imperfect: lacks t.p., first full-page woodcut of three seated wise men with six attendants, Prohemium, 2 leaves containing chapters 1-3 of De Herbis (text starts with end of third chapter on recto of leaf with chapter 4 on verso), leaf with chapter 530 of De Herbis on recto, leaf containing chapters 157-159 of De Animalibus, 10 leaves containing chapters 17-49 and 1 leaf containing chapters104-106 of De Piscibus, 4 leaves containing chapters 125 - beginning of 132 of De Lapidus, 1 leaf containing Tabula generalis de lapidibus H onwards, and 1 leaf containing printer's Epilogue/Colophon (verso)

Library copy misbound: leaf containing end of chapter 117 - chapter 121 (inc.) bound after leaf ending with the beginning of chapter 113

Tractatus de herbis.-- Tractatus de animalibus vitam in terris ducentium -- Tractatus de auibus -- Tractatus de piscibus -- Tractatus de lapidibus -- Tractatus de urinis -- Tabula sup tractatu de herbis -- Tabula de animalibus - Tabula de avibus -- Tabula de piscibus - Tabula de lapidibus -- Tabula generalis.

References: BM 15th cent. I, p. 44 (IB. 343); BN cat. des incun. H-294; Goff, H486; Hain-Copinger 8944; Klebs I, p. 27; Klebs, A.C. Early herbals, 45; Schramm, A. Bilderschmuck, XV, 26-1098; Pritzel 10817; Wellcome cat. of printed books, I, 3326;

This work is the prototype of most of the later editions in Latin and other languages. It is often regarded as a translation of the German Herbarius or Ortus Sanitatis, printed by Peter Schöffer at Mainz early in 1485 (and possibly compiled by Johann de Cube), but is larger and consists of the following parts: (1) Prohemium; (2) a treatise on herbs in 530 chapters; (3) a treatise on land animals in 164 chapters; (4) a treatise on birds in 122 chapters; (5) a treatise on fishes, etc., in 106 chapters; (6) a treatise on stones and minerals in 144 chapters; (7) a treatise on urines; an index of diseases referring to each division of the book separately; an alphabetical index to each part; and concludes with an epilogue by the printer, Jacob Meydenbach. The work contains 1066 chapters. The chapters begin with a description of the plant/animal/bird/etc., its synonyms, and often something about its geographical origin, taken from various authors. The medicinal properties are described in a separate section headed "Operationes"

Available online. See https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/PR-INC-00003-A-00001-00008-00037/1

Previously owned by Jospeh Goff, Henry Penruddocke Wyndham (1736–1819) (?), Wadham Wyndham (16 October 1773 – 23 October 1843) (?), and A. I. and E. Knight.

Contains small stamp (top left inside front cover) consisting of intertwined letters, possibly HPW, possibly those of Henry Penruddocke Wyndham (1736–1819). Contains heraldic bookplate, inscribed: "Wadham Wyndham, Esq." Contains heraldic bookplate, inscribed: "AI & E Knight \ Factis non verbis" pasted down partially over Wadham Windham bookplate. Bookseller's catalogue entry pasted down inside back cover. First page in volume contains ink manuscript description of title and publication details of the work; some later pencil annotations indicating some of the pages which are missing. "Jospeh Goff Liber" inscribed top right of first leaf of text in Library volume. Ink manuscript annotations throughout, in hands of different dates. Names of some plants and birds inscribed in English beside relevant chapters.
Sketches of a pointing hand in various locations throughout De herbis.
Sketch in margin of leaf containing chapters 54 and 54 of De avibis, either of cockerel (after illustration accompanying chapter 52) or of a chicken (after illustration accompanying chapter 53). Previous Accession Number: 25857. Previous Classmark: 615.116.

17th century calf (rebacked preserving original spine, worn, with front cover and several preliminary pages detached). In a protective four-flap phase box.