home authors books contributors books for sale links
The Library of Renaissance Symbolism
The Symbolic Literature of the Renaissance

Support the Library!
Buy your books here.

Find On Worldcat
Find On This Site

Herbals
Bibliography

*=contributor or source; (...)=translation of title or work; [...]=relevant pages or chapter

[These pages are under construction. Contributions are welcome and will be acknowledged.  For details see here]

Albertus Magnus De Vegetabilibus before 1256

Anguillara, Luigi Semplici 1561

Anon Arbolayre Besançon: Metlinger, 1486-8

Subsequent editions were called Le Grand Herbier eg that of Paris: Nyverd, nd c1520. Partly based on the Circa instans – see below

Anon Herbarium Apuleii Platonici c1481

Probably written about 400 AD

Anon Herbarius Passau: Johan Patri, 1486

Anon Herbarius Venice: Christ. de Pensis, 1502

Anon Herbarius i Latino Louvain: J. Veldener, 1485

Anon Herbarius Latinus Mainz: Schoeffer, 1484

Second edition Speier: Johann & Conrad Hist 1484.

Anon Herbarum Imagines vivae Frankfurt: Egenolff, 1535

Anon Herbolario volgare Venice: Valassori, 1534

Another edition Vinegia: Bindoni & Pasini, 1536

Anon Hortulus anime Mainz: Schoffer, 1513

Another ed. Strasburg: Gruninger, 1500
Another ed. Lyon: Koberger, 1511

Anon Hortus (Ortus) Sanitatis Mainz: Meydenbach, 1491

Another ed. Venice: Benalium et Tacuinum, 1511

------------------------Gart der Gesundheit Augsburg: Schönsperger, 1486

Title means The Garden of Health. Third or Fourth edition. First printed by Schöffer in Mainz in 1485 and praised as a landmark in the history of botanical illustration.

Anon Hortus Sanitatis Venice: Bernardino Benalio and Giovanni de Tridino, 1511

First edition printed in Italy.

Anon Hortus Sanitatus Strasbourg: Renatus Beck, 1517

Anon Le Grand Herbier Paris: Nyverd, 1520

Anon Macer Floridus Naples 1477

Possibly written by Odo de Meung in the 11th Century, this is one of the first medieval documents which shows a revival of interest in botany.
Another ed. Geneva: Belot, 1495.
Another edition  Basle: Henrypierre, 1578 edited by George Pictorius.

Anon The Grete Herball London: Peter Treveris 1526

First illustrated edition. Owes much to Le Grand Herbier Paris: Nyverd, 1520.

Banckes, Richard Herbal 1525

Berchorius, Petrus Repertarium morale 14th century

-----------------------Reductorium morale

Bock, Hieronymous New Kreutter Buch Strasbourg: Rihel, 1530

Brunfels, Otto (1484-1534) Herbarium vivae eicones 1530-1540

A translation and adaptation of the first part of this called Kreüterbuch contrafayt Strassburg: Schott, 1534 Illustrations of both are by Hans Weiditz the Younger.

de Cuba, Jean Jardin de Santé

The first part of this book is a herbal. The second part is his famous volucrary.

De Rinaldi, Giovanni Il Mostrvosissimi Mostro Venice: Lucio Spineda 1599

First published at Ferrara in 1584. Also appeared as Il Vago, et Dilettevole, Giardino Pavia: 1593. Deals with the iconology of colors and the symbolism of herbs and flowers.

Dioscorides, Pedanios De materia medica

Describes 500 plants and written in about 60AD

------------------------Commentarii Pedacii Dioscoridis ed by Matthiolus 1542 -1556

(Comments on Dioscorides)

-------------------------Simplicium Medicamentorum libri VI Basle: Bebelium 1532

Dodoens, Rembert (c1515-1585) Cruydeboek 1554

-----------------------A Nieuwe Herball trans. of Cruydeboek by Henry Lyle 1578

-----------------------Stirpium historiae 1583

Estienne, Charles de re hortenis libellus Paris: Nicolaum 1542

Many magnificent large illustrations

Fuchs, Leonhart De historia Stirpium commentarii insignes Basle: Isingrin, 1542

Gesundheit, Gart deHerbarius zu Teütsch Augsburg: Johann Schönsberger, 1496

Girard, John Herball 1597

Based on the text and illustrations of Cruydeboek by Rembert Dodoens.  Described 800 plants and had 1,800 illustrations. London: Islip, Norton and Whittakers, 2nd ed. 1630.
Another ed. London: Adam J. Slip et. al, 1633.
Another ed. 1636.

----------------------The Herball or Generall Historie of Plantes Islip: Norton and Whitakers, 1633

Illustrated with over 2,500 woodcuts of plants.

Lobel, Matthijs de Kruydtboeck Antwerp: Plantin, 1581

First Dutch edition, with 2187 woodcuts in Folio. Latin edition Plantin, 1576.

Macer, Aemilius De virtutibus herbarum Venice: Bernadino de Vitali, 1508

A popular medieval didactic poem, describing in Latin hexameters, some 80 plants and their properties.
Another edition Basel: Sebastien Henrypierre, 1581, ed. Georg Pictorius

Magirus, Tobias Polymnemon, seu Florilegium Locorum Communium Frankfurt: np, 1661

Macer, Floridus De viribus herbarum Geneva: Jacques Vivian (?), 1506

Five updated editions from Geneva between 1495-1517.

-------------------------De Herbarum Virtutibus Aemilii Macri Veronesis Bâle: Sebastien Henrypierre, 1581

------------------------Les Fleurs du Livre des Vertus des Herbes Rouen M. & H. Mallard, 1588

The first printed vernacular translation of "the best known single and distinct treatment of the virtues of herbs produced during the middle ages" (Thorndike).

Matthioli, Pietro Andrea Commentarii in Sex Libros Pedacii Dioscoridis Anabazei de Medica Materia Venice: Valgrisi, 1565

------------------------Commentaires sur Dioscori des Lyon: Guillaume Roville, 1579

Latin edition Lyon: 1569

Maurus, Hrabanus De universo 9th century

Megenberg, Konrad von Das Buch der Nature 1475

First book to contain illustrations of plants.

Parkinson, John Paradisi in sole paradises terrestris 1629

Paulli, Simon Quadripartitum Botanicum Strasbourg: Paulli, 1667-1668

Second, enlarged edition.

Platearius, Matthaeus De simplicibus medicines 1150

Called the Circa instans. An alternative name for herb was simple.

Sweert, Emanuel Florilegium tractans de variis floribus et aliis indicis plantis Frankfurt/Main: Kempner, 1612

Tabernaemontanus, Jacobus Theodorus Neuw Kreuterbuch Frankfurt: Basseus, 1588-91

Theophrastus De historia plantarum (Aldine Counterfeit) Lyons: Balthazar de Gabiano, 1506

(A History of Plants)  

----------------------De causis plantarum

(About the Reasons of Vegetable Growth)  both first published in 1483 in Treviso but these editions are now lost. 1st surviving edition was from 1497.

Turner, William A New Herbal 1551-68