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GERARD, John (1545-1612)
The Herball or Generall Historie of Plantes... very much enlarged and amended by Thomas Johnson
London: Adam Islip, Joice Norton & Richard Whitakers, 1633. Folio (13 3/4 x 8 3/4 inches). Engraved architectural title by John Payne showing Theophrastus and Dioscorides, Ceres and Pomona (Johnson, 'Title-pages', p. 50; Payne no. 9), approximately 2,760 woodcuts in text, numerous woodcut initials. (Title mounted, single wormtrack affecting about 35 leaves at the beginning). Expertly rebacked incorporating old calf panels, covers within triple fillet borders, spine in seven compartments with raised bands, red morocco lettering piece in the second, the other compartments with overall repeat decoration in gilt made up from various stylized flower and foliage tools in gilt.
The preferred second edition of Gerard's "Herbal," the first edition of Thomas Johnson's expanded version with over 2,760 woodcuts.
Gerard was superintendent of the gardens of William Cecil, Lord Burghley, one of the most influential members of the court of Elizabeth I. In addition to his work for Lord Burghley, Gerard also raised many exotic plants in his own gardens and travelled extensively in search of new specimens. The first edition of the present work, published in 1597, was much praised for the elegance of the descriptions, but Johnson's re-editing of the work after Gerard's death greatly improved the accuracy and breadth of the original work. It is almost half as long again as the first edition of 1597 and is, in every respect, superior to its predecessor. Johnson was commissioned by the publishers to produce this amended and enlarged edition at short notice in order to forestall Parkinson's Theatrum Botanicum, believed to be imminent, (it finally appeared in 1640), and he complains bitterly in his preface that he "was forced to perform this task within the compasse of a year", - an almost superhuman effort.
As was the case with the first edition, the woodblocks were acquired from abroad, this time from Plantin, who had used them for his editions of Dodoens, de l'Écluse, and Lobel (a few of the smaller woodcuts may thus have in fact originated in England, with Thomas Purfoot's edition of Pena and Lobel's Stirpium adversaria nova, Plantin having purchased the woodblocks in 1580). Some of the figures Johnson drew himself, notably the bunch of bananas on page 1516. This had been given to him on 10th April 1633 by Dr. Argent, President of the College of Physicians of London, who had received it from Bermuda. Johnson's drawing is the first illustration of bananas to be published in England. Having drawn and described them, he says - "the stalke with the fruit thereon I hanged up in my shop, where it became ripe about the beginning of May, and lasted until June".
Arber p. 282; Brunet II, 1548; Hunt 223; Nissen BBI 698; STC 11751.
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#13527 $6,250.00 
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© 2002-2005 Donald A. Heald
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