New Kreüterbuch (‘New Herbal’), First Edition

Leonhart Fuchs (1501-1566), German physician and botanist, is the author of one of the most famous botany treatises written during the Renaissance, the De historia stirpium commentarii insignes ('Notable Commentaries on the History of Plants), first printed in 1542 in Latin. The book includes over 500 high-quality woodcut illustrations of plants.

These detailed and accurate drawings are accompanied by thorough descriptions of their medicinal use. While Fuchs tried to identify plants mentioned by ancient Greek authors, the foreign entries are of particular interest, as these include the first published illustrations and descriptions of newly discovered specimens from the New World such as maize, tobacco, cactus and chilli pepper. This copy is the first German-language edition, printed one year after the Latin version, in the Michael Isengrin printing shop in Basel. The illustrations are by two draughtsmen, Heinrich Füllmaurer and Albert Meyer, with the woodcut engraver Veit Rudolf Speckle. They are credited and given a rare portrayal at the end. The manuscript is in pristine condition, with the original binding.