Botany, Botany--Middle East, Description and travel, DS47 .R38 1583
First complete edition, including the fourth part which contains 42 woodcuts of oriental plants unknown till then, among them the Rauwolfia ... Show moreFirst complete edition, including the fourth part which contains 42 woodcuts of oriental plants unknown till then, among them the Rauwolfia (important to pharmaceutics). Rauwolf, an Augsburg physician, travelled to the Near East to collect and describe the flora of the region. His account of the three-year journey provides details not only of the plants he encountered but also of the people and customs and of the difficulties of travel, containing many authentic and reliable observations. His reports also include the first printed account of coffee as a social drink (cf. Hünersdorff/H. II, 1221). "He was the first modern botanist to collect and describe the flora of the regions east of the Levantine coast" (Norman). The Burrell copy of the 1582 edition - still without the fourth part with the illustrations - fetched GBP 16,200 (Sothebys, 5 Oct 99, lot 677). - Washed throughout and heavily restored in places. Vorlageform des Erscheinungsvermerks: Jn costen vnd verlag Georgen Willers. 1583. Titelbl. T. 4: Getruckt zu Laugingen, durch Leonhart Reinmichel, in verlegung Georgen Willers. Main Heritage Shelves General DS47 .R38 1583 Book Item-ID: i16875436 BIB-ID: 1510962 Show less
