Early Printing & Manuscripts / Medicine & Pharmacy

JOHN XXI, Pope. Thesaurus pauperum Petri hispani pontificis romani, philosophi ac medici doctissimi, de medendis morbis humani corporis liber: experimenta particularia per simplicia medicamenta ex probatissimis autoribus, & propriis observationibus collecta, continens.
Frankfurt, heirs of Christian Egenolff, 1576. 8vo. Title-page in red and black, Egenolffs woodcut burning heart device below the colophon, 3 woodcut arabesque tailpieces, and 3 woodcut decorated initials (3 different series). Contemporary limp vellum, faded manuscript title on spine. 112, [7, last 3 pages blank] ll. Full description

JOHN XXI, Pope. Thesaurus pauperum Petri Hispani pontificis Romani, philosophi ac medici dictissimi, de medendis morbis humani corporis liber: experimenta particularia per simplicia medicamenta ex probatissimis autoribus, & propiis observationibus collecta, continens.
Frankfurt, heirs of Christian Egenolff, 1578 8vo. With title-page in red and black, Egenolffs woodcut burning heart device below the colophon, 3 woodcut arabesque tailpieces, and 3 woodcut decorated initials (3 different series). With the main text in italic type but the preface in roman. Modern half sheepskin. 112, [5] ll. Full description

LESPLEIGNEY, Thibault. De usu pharmaceutices in consarcinandis medicame[n]tis, Isagoge. ....
[Paris], Jean Ruel, 1543. 16mo (12 x 8 cm). Set in 3 sizes of roman type, the smallest including special pharmacological characters. Modern sheepskin parchment, gilt edges. 229, [11] pp. Full description

[MANLIO, Giovanni Giacomo (Johannes Jacobus MANLIUS or MANLIIS)]. Luminare maius. Cinthius ut totum radiis illuminat orbem. Illuminat latebras sic medicina tuas.
(Colophon: Venice, Gregorio de Gregori, 8 January 1513). Folio (30.5 x 21 cm). With 13 woodcut decorated initials (6 series?) plus 8 repeats, 4-line typographic "Lombarbic" initials. Set in rotunda gothic types in 2 columns, with a preliminary note in roman type. With contemporary pen decorations in brown ink added to about half of the initials and occasional similar pen decorations in the margins, an occasional manuscript paragraph mark, some rubrications in brown ink and some initials coloured with a transparent ochre wash. Early 20th-century vellum. 77, [2], [1 blank] ll. Full description

MARBODE (MARBODIUS) of Rennes. De gemmarum lapidumq[ue] pretiosorum formis, naturis, atq[ue] viribus eruditu[m] cu[m] primis opusculu[m], ... scholiis q[uo]q[ue] illustratu[m] p[er] Alardu[m] Aemstelredamu[m].
Cologne, Hero Alopecius [Fuchs], 1539. 8vo. With a woodcut illustration on the title-page, representing a Jewish priest behind a board with the names of 12 stones which represent the 12 tribes of Israel. 17th-century gold-tooled red morocco, richly gold-tooled spinel, gold-tooled fillets and small cornerpieces on both boards, gold-tooled board edges and turn-ins. 124, [2] ll. Full description

MARCELLUS EMPIRICUS. De medicamentis Empiricis physicis ac rationalibus liber.
Basel, Froben, 1536. With a woodcut caduceus device on title-page and several woodcut initials. Set in roman types.
With: (2) [THORER, Alban]. [De re medica].
(Colophon: Basel, Andreas Cratander, 1528). With the first leaf of the main text in a 4-piece woodcut border (3 initalled I.F.), Cratander's woodcut device on the last otherwise blank leaf, showing Occasio, the goddess of chance, and dozens of charming woodcut initials. Set in roman types. 2 works in 1 volume. Small folio (30 x 22 cm). 20th-century half parchment. 252, [12]; 125, [1] ll. Full description

MASAWAIH AL-MARDINI (MESUE the younger). De re medica libri tres. Jacobo Sylvio medico interprete. Cum annotationibus & scholiis eiusdem. Index locupletissimus cum capitum, tum omnium quae scitu digna sunt operi praefixus est.
"Paris" [= Venice], [Girolamo Scotto], 1553. 8vo. With Scottos woodcut device on the title-page (showing what are probably two of the wild mares of King Abderus being devoured by the mares of King Diomedes of Thrace devouring either Abderos or Diomedes himself) and about 22 woodcut decorated (nearly all pictorial) initials (7 series) plus a few repeats. Contemporary vellum, traces of ties. 248, [4] ll. Full description

MASSA, Niccolò. Liber de morbo Gallico: noviter editus: in quo omnes modi possibiles sanandi ipsum: mira quadam & artificiosa doctrina continentur: ... Addita est epistola ad eximium Thomam Cademustum in qua quamplurima ad perfectionem operis totius, & multarum aliarum egritudinum curam leguntur.
(Colophon: Venice, Francesco Bindoni, Maffeo Pasini, May) 1536. 4to. With title in a woodcut architectural border showing 4 charming monsters, 6 sentries and a winged putto. 19th-century panel-stamped and blind-tooled parchment. 50, [1], 1 blank] ll. Full description

MERCURIALE, Girolamo. Liber responsorum et consultationum medicinalium. Nunc primùm á Michaele Columbo collectus & in lucem editus.
Basel, Conrad Valdkirch, 1588. With a woodcut arabesque tailpiece and decorated initials, a headpiece and other decorations built up from arabesque typographic ornaments.
With: VALLERIOLE, François. Observationum medicinalium lib. VI. Denuo editi, & emendatiores quàm antea in lucem emissi: in quibus multorum gravissimorum morborum historiae, eorundem causae, syntomata atque eventus, tum etiam curationes miro, utili & compendioso ordine describuntur.
Lyon, Antoine Blanc [printed in Geneva?], 1588. With Blancs woodcut device on the title-page, woodcut decorated initials and headpieces built up from typographic ornaments.
8vo. 17th-century overlapping vellum over boards, manuscript title on spine. [24], 502, [16]; [24], 524, [32] pp. Full description

MASAWAIH AL-MARDINI (MESUE the younger). Opus quibuslibet aromatariis: necessariu[m]. Mesue in vulgare rescripto. Primo che se rechercha allarte della aromataria como se conosseno le medicine simplice & composte li quattro canone p[er] arte in vulgare declarate alla antidotario: li dubie al configere qlle resolute.
[Napels or Venice, ca. 1500?]. 4to (14.5 x 19.8 cm). Half calf over marbled boards [ca. 1900], gold-tooled spine, gold-tooled red spine label, red sprinkled edges. [34] ll. Full description