A Nievve Herball, or Historie of Plantes, wherein is contayned the whole discourse and perfect description of all sorts of Herbes and Plantes: their divers & sundry kindes: ....

London [Antwerp]: Gerard Dewes, 1578 A fair to good copy of the first English translation of Dodoens 'Cruydeboeck' (book of plants) which was published in 1554, and which was a major reference work in its time. This copy is bound in full calf with probably contemporary boards and a later spine. The spine has 5 raised bands and gilt title. There is general scuffing to the boards and wear with leather loss at the corners. The leather around the bottom corner at the front is rippled. The spine is sound and clean with some wear at the top. Endpapers look to be newer with repair at the joint. Most copies of this edition tend to be incomplete to varying degrees and with repair. This is no exception and is lacking pp 775-779 and the first 3 pages of the index. At two points, leaves from a later smaller copy have been inserted and some pages are very fragile with some loss. In detail: title in woodcut border with a woodcut of Henry Lyte's coat of arms to the verso. This leaf has both outer corners missing with some loss to the title and to the text which top and tails the coat of arms. There is some old light brown ink annotation to the title. Dedication 2pp with staining - paper fragile with some loss to top corner and a hole in the gutter. To the Reader - 1p; dedicatory poems 5 pp - all with staining at corners - final leaf with old repair to side edge and woodcut portrait of Dodoens to verso. Preface 4pp; epistola 2pp; Appendix 6pp. Text in 6 parts with woodcuts - pp 1-774. Some mispagination with continuous text: 104-108-106-107-108; 356-359-360; 361-362-361-362. There is occasional staining eg 114-119, dark stain in text 382/3. There are old paper repairs at 155, 235 and 765, and newer repairs at 749, 755, 770. The verso of p577 is blank and written on in old neat text. A new smaller leaf 577/8 has been inserted with a small handwritten note on 578. The woodcut on 578 has been coloured. Another smaller leaf numbered 587/8 has been inserted after 586. 587 has 2 coloured woodcuts and a small ink note in the margin. P587 of the original work is blank. Text runs to p774 and the index starts with Galerion. Page edges are fragile and frayed after p770. Index 9pp, finis; The Table 9pp - paper is very browned and crumbly with brown marking and some text loss at the bottom margin of 2 pp. Bottom corner missing from final page which has The Colophon (complete) on the verso. Please enquire if you would like to see additional images.