Fine Printed Books & Manuscripts, Including Americana

Small folio (238 x 178 mm). 133 (of 138) leaves. Lacking sigs. pilgrow1 [title-page in fine facsimile], a3-4 [folding woodcut], a6, b1, N5. Numerous wood engravings in the text of herbs, distilling apparatus etc., large woodcut at the end surrounded by ornamental woodblock. (A few leaves spotted). Late 19th century brown morocco gilt, spine in 6 compartments with 5 raised bands, gilt-lettering in 2, others gilt, all edges gilt, stamp-signed by Riviere and Son (small split to front joint). Provenance: contemporary marginalia on I3 and a manicule on f5; W.H.B. Fletcher (armorial bookplate); Henry & Carol Faul (bookplate).

"A very rare book" (Duveen). This work, known as the 'small distilling book', was first printed in 1500 as Liber de arte distillandi de simplicibus. "This book became a pharmaceutical-technical handbook that was the authority far into the sixteenth century. Appended to it was a compilation of illnesses "a capite ad calcem", along with a list of vegetable distillates indicated for each case of illness" (DSB). Duveen p.106; Durling 759; Nissen BBI 271; STC 13435; Hodnett nos.2464-2488.