A PROFITABLE INSTRUCTION of the PERFITE ORDERING of BEES, with the Marvellous Nature, Propertie, and Government of them: and the Necessarie Uses both of their Honie and Waxe [i.e. part 2 only of The Profitable Art of Gardening], by HILL, Thomas. (Thomas Hyll).:

London, Henrie Bynneman, 1574.. THIRD EDITION of Hill's treatise on bee-keeping, 1574. The first printed work on bees in English, pages 1-44 on bees followed by 2 other works. Small 4to, approximately 175 x 130 mm, 7 x 5 inches, pages: [viii], 1-88, last page is the colophon, ornamental border to title page, woodcut initials, woodcut printer's device of a Mermaid to colophon, text mainly in black letter,18th century calf, gilt rule to edges, rebacked later in darker calf with double gilt rules but no title label, new endpapers using old paper to match text, fore-edges of paper stained red. Old calf boards rubbed and scratched, corners slightly worn at tips with board just showing, slightly trimmed copy with several pages having running title shaved, just affecting the top of the taller letters, no loss of meaning, pale old ink stain to outer margin of last page of Preface, pale browning and damp staining, affecting margins and a few leaves, occasional small brown spot, small ink stain to fore-edges of last few pages, nowhere near text, a very good copy. This is the second section, with independent title page (but with the register commencing at Aa) of the third edition of Hill's The Profitable Art of Gardening, now the third time set forth. It is of substantial interest in its own right as an early beekeeping treatise. The final sections discuss Weather and Graffting, comprising signatures Aa-Mm4. See: British Bee Books A Bibliography 1500-1976, pages 36-38; H.J.O. Walker Catalogue of Bee Books, page 35; Mary Aslin, Catalogue of Books on Agriculture, 1471-1840, page 61; Catalogue of Printed Books in the Wellcome Library, Volume 1, 167, No. 3169 and 3170; Blanche Henrey, British Botanical Books before 1800, Volume 1, page 252; Rachel Hunt Catalogue of Botanical Books, Volume 1, page 124, No. 117; ESTC S117236. MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING, ALL ZOOMABLE, FURTHER IMAGES ON REQUEST. POSTAGE AT COST.