![[HERBAL]. -- EGENOLPH, Christian, publisher. Herbarum imagines vivae. Der kreuter lebliche Contrafaytung. Frankfurt: Christian Egenolph, 1535.](https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/1998/NYP/1998_NYP_09012_0025_000(112940).jpg?w=1)
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[HERBAL]. -- EGENOLPH, Christian, publisher. Herbarum imagines vivae. Der kreuter lebliche Contrafaytung. Frankfurt: Christian Egenolph, 1535.
Chancery 4o (194 x 147 mm). Collation: A-L4 (A1r title, A1v-K4v plant woodcuts with captions, L1r-L2r index of Latin plant names, L2v-L4r index of German plant names, L4v blank). 44 leaves, 1-38 foliated. Roman and gothic types. 226 fine woodcuts of plants and a few fruits, one to six per page, with accompanying captions in Latin and German, THE WOODCUTS FULLY COLORED BY A CONTEMPORARY HAND. (Occasional offsetting from the original stacked sheets, slight overall soiling and occasional minor staining, small closed tear to f. F1 affecting woodcut on verso, small marginal hole to E1, modern flyleaf obscuring inner edge of title woodcuts, title-leaf with small marginal tear and lower fore-edge chipped). 19th-century half morocco (broken). Provenance: contemporary notes of alternate Latin or Greek names to 3 woodcuts, on A3r, H2v and K1r; 18th-century note on F2v.
EXTREMELY RARE FIRST EDITION of one of the earliest field herbals. A second part containing an additional 65 woodcuts was published in 1536. Most of the woodcuts are reduced copies of Hans Weiditz's important illustrations for Brunfels' Herbarum vivae eicones (Strassburg: Johann Schott, 1530-1532), the first realistic and accurate published illustrations of plants. These piracies of Weiditz's woodcuts have an unusual history. Egenolph seems to have had them cut for his 1533 edition of Eucharius Rösslin's Kreutterbuch, a compilation of earlier herbals. In 1534 Brunfels' publisher Johann Schott successfully sued Egenolph for plagiarism and had the woodblocks confiscated and shipped to Strassburg, where he proceeded to use the plagiarazed blocks for his own 1534 German-text edition of Brunfels (Nissen 259). Unphased, Egenolph apparently had a set of blocks cut anew, for they reappear in the present edition and in several later editions of popular herbals published by him, his heirs, and associated Frankfurt printers.
One of the first herbals designed for easy consultation in the field, Egenolph's little book clearly filled a great need and was quickly sold out, as he was obliged to print a new edition to accompany Part II in September 1536. Later editions of both parts appeared under variant titles in 1546 and 1552. This very rare first edition was unknown to Pritzel; ABPC records no copies at auction in the past 50 years. Adams H-293 [with part 2, 1536]; BM/STC German p. 396; Nissen BBI 2344 [with part 2].
Chancery 4o (194 x 147 mm). Collation: A-L4 (A1r title, A1v-K4v plant woodcuts with captions, L1r-L2r index of Latin plant names, L2v-L4r index of German plant names, L4v blank). 44 leaves, 1-38 foliated. Roman and gothic types. 226 fine woodcuts of plants and a few fruits, one to six per page, with accompanying captions in Latin and German, THE WOODCUTS FULLY COLORED BY A CONTEMPORARY HAND. (Occasional offsetting from the original stacked sheets, slight overall soiling and occasional minor staining, small closed tear to f. F1 affecting woodcut on verso, small marginal hole to E1, modern flyleaf obscuring inner edge of title woodcuts, title-leaf with small marginal tear and lower fore-edge chipped). 19th-century half morocco (broken). Provenance: contemporary notes of alternate Latin or Greek names to 3 woodcuts, on A3r, H2v and K1r; 18th-century note on F2v.
EXTREMELY RARE FIRST EDITION of one of the earliest field herbals. A second part containing an additional 65 woodcuts was published in 1536. Most of the woodcuts are reduced copies of Hans Weiditz's important illustrations for Brunfels' Herbarum vivae eicones (Strassburg: Johann Schott, 1530-1532), the first realistic and accurate published illustrations of plants. These piracies of Weiditz's woodcuts have an unusual history. Egenolph seems to have had them cut for his 1533 edition of Eucharius Rösslin's Kreutterbuch, a compilation of earlier herbals. In 1534 Brunfels' publisher Johann Schott successfully sued Egenolph for plagiarism and had the woodblocks confiscated and shipped to Strassburg, where he proceeded to use the plagiarazed blocks for his own 1534 German-text edition of Brunfels (Nissen 259). Unphased, Egenolph apparently had a set of blocks cut anew, for they reappear in the present edition and in several later editions of popular herbals published by him, his heirs, and associated Frankfurt printers.
One of the first herbals designed for easy consultation in the field, Egenolph's little book clearly filled a great need and was quickly sold out, as he was obliged to print a new edition to accompany Part II in September 1536. Later editions of both parts appeared under variant titles in 1546 and 1552. This very rare first edition was unknown to Pritzel; ABPC records no copies at auction in the past 50 years. Adams H-293 [with part 2, 1536]; BM/STC German p. 396; Nissen BBI 2344 [with part 2].