The Herball or Generall Historie of Plantes

London: Adam Islip, Joice Norton, and Richard WHitakers, 1636. Leather. Very Good. 13.5" by 9.5". Not Stated. An early edition of John Gerard's important herbal, a sixteenth century guide to the proper care and maintenance of plants, illustrated throughout. The important botanical work of John Gerard, which was first published in 1597. This is the second edition with Johnson's expansions, and the third overall edition. Illustrated profusely throughout.'The Herball or Generall Historie of Plantes' was one of the most popular and essential works on gardening in the seventeenth century, a comprehensive resource on the growing and maintaining of plants, with details on their uses in medicine. Though incredibly popular, this was mostly a plagiarised English translation of Rembert Dodoen's 1554 herbal, 'Cruydboeck'. This expansion by Johnson addresses the controversy in the preface. This is the expanded edition by Thomas Johnson; in the thirty-six years since Gerard's first publication had seen such strides in the study of botany that Johnson added over eight hundred new species to this work. Volume II of two volumes, lacking Volume I, this volume containing Books II - III. Bound without the title page and first 794 pages of text, and leaves 7B3-7B6. Text begins on page 795, which is mis-numbered 797, as is usual with this 1636 edition. Publication information taken from Jisc from a copy held at the University of Oxford Libraries, and the Wellcome Library.Register runs as: 3W6, 3X-6V6, 6X4, 6Y-7A6, 7B2. In a modern half morocco binding with cloth to the boards. Externally, smart. Spine is faded. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are very lightly age-toned and clean, with the occasional spot. Leaves 7B1 and 7B2 are restored. Chip to the margin of leaf 5Y6, no loss of text. Bound without the title page and first 794 pages of text, and leaves 7B3-7B6. Very Good