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Scarce, beautifully illustrated 17th-century herbal

BOCCONE, Paulo.
Icones & descriptiones rariorum plantarum Siciliae, Melitae, Galliae, & Italiae. Quarum unaquaeque proprio charactere signata, ab aliis eiusdem classis facile distinguitur.

With title-engraving depicting the Sheldonian Theatre, 52 fine engraved illustrations showing numerous plants and flowers in text.

With title-engraving depicting the Sheldonian Theatre, 52 fine engraved illustrations showing numerous plants and flowers in text.

With title-engraving depicting the Sheldonian Theatre, 52 fine engraved illustrations showing numerous plants and flowers in text.

With title-engraving depicting the Sheldonian Theatre, 52 fine engraved illustrations showing numerous plants and flowers in text.

With title-engraving depicting the Sheldonian Theatre, 52 fine engraved illustrations showing numerous plants and flowers in text.



(Oxford), Sheldonian Theatre, 1674. 4to. Early 19th-century treecalf, gold-tooled spine, black sprinkled edges. With title-engraving depicting the Sheldonian Theatre, 52 fine engraved illustrations showing numerous plants and flowers in text. [8], 96, [7, 1 blank] pp.

Beautiful copy of this fine herbal by the Italian botanist Paolo Boccone (1633-1704). The author was born in Palermo and descended from a noble family. He developed an interest in Natural History and botany at a young age. He travelled in Western Europe and mainly collected rare plant specimens in Italy, Sicily and Corsica. Through his travels he came in contact with many famous botanists such as William Sherard and Robert Morison. They pursuaded Boccone to publish this herbal. The manuscript was sent to Robert Morison by Charles Hatton, son of Lord Hatton and one of Morison's former pupils. Robert Morison had the last seven illustrations redrawn from dried specimens, because he considered them to be inaccurate. Subsequently, they were engraved at Hatton's expense.
All the finely engraved text illustrations show detailed pictures of plants and herbs. The present work was printed at the Sheldonian Theatre only 4 years after its construction, making it one of the first publications of the Oxford University Press after its relocation. The view of the round early Sheldonian Theatre is just as interesting to bibliophiles as any of the botanical plates to botanists.
Compared to the second of two copies (no. 68) from the auction sale of the Library of the Stiftung für Botanik (London, 1975), our copy is without the second line of the imprint and it has Robert Morison's dedication to Charles Hatton bound at the end.
Title-page strengthened and repaired at left margin with old owner's manuscript entry dated 1774; binding a few minor scratches. Good and clean copy of this fine herbal.
Nissen BBI 179; Pritzel 859; Stafleu p. 243; Wing 3385.

Related Subjects: 17th Century  Botany  France  Italy  Natural History  Sicily 

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