THEATRUM BOTANICUM: THE THEATER OF PLANTS BY JOHN PARKINSON 1640 FIRST EDITION
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[PARKINSON, JOHN]. Theatrum botanicum: The theater of plants. Or, An herball of a large extent: containing therein a more ample and exact history and declaration of the physicall herbs and plants that are in other authours, encreased by the accesse of many hundreds of new, rare, and strange plants from all the parts of the world, with sundry gummes, and other physicall materials, than hath beene hitherto published by any before; and a most large demonstration of their natures and vertues. Shevving vvithall the many errors, differences, and oversights of sundry authors that have formerly written of them; and a certaine confidence, or most probable conjecture of the true and genuine herbes and plants. Distributed into sundry classes or tribes, for the more easie knowledge of the many herbes of one nature and property, with the chiefe notes of Dr. Lobel, Dr. Bonham, and others inserted therein. Collected by the many yeares travaile, industry, and experience in this subject, by Iohn Parkinson apothecary of London, and the Kings herbarist. And published by the Kings Majestyes especiall priviledge. London: Thomas Cotes, 1640.
First edition; leather-bound; hardcover; folio (35cm x 23cm x 10cm); pp. [20], 1755, [1] errata (some irregular pagination); English text in Roman letter, with some Italic; handsomely bound by Gilmour of Sarum in 19th century full reverse calf, spine with five raised bands and morocco lettering-piece in second compartment; with over 2700 woodcut illustrations in the text; decorative capitals; head-pieces; rear index in double columns. Condition: FAIR to GOOD. Binding tight and secure with the hinges and joints intact. Covers largely well-preserved with some wear to the head of the spine. Lacking engraved title, but otherwise complete. Some water staining and folding mainly to index section. Several marginal tears and repairs, plus some worm tracts. Some corner pieces missing. Old ink splatters on pages 640, 641 and 642.
Notes: A handsome copy of this famous and beautiful English herbal, 'one of the two main pillars of botany in England till the time of Ray' (James Edward Smith). The largest herbal in English, this was also the last great medicinally-based plant study. John Parkinson (1567-1650), a London pharmacist, received the title of Royal Apothecary from James I. Later, Charles I appointed him as his chief botanist ("Botanicus Regius Primarius"). Parkinson had a private garden in Long Acre 'well stored with rarities' (Theatrum, p. 609). Work on his herbal was helped by notes and unpublished material by the French botanist Matthias de l'Obel who had lived in north London in the last years of his life. Parkinson had given notice of his intention to compile a herbal in his Paradisus terrestris of 1629, but was delayed by the publication of the second Johnson edition of Gerarde's Herball, in 1636. This delay meant that Parkinson's work had time to grow much larger than originally planned, and on publication it included about a thousand more plants than Gerarde could, and describes many species not previously recorded. Natural history collecting in exotic lands was actively pursued from the earliest period of botanical study, and the earliest exploring ships were fitted out with special compartments for the transportation of animals and plants. Parkinson noted in his Paradisi in sole of 1629 that he had obtained a specimen of the "Scilla alba" in the manner of the day - which meant gathering with other collectors at the quay to meet the returning ships, and to purchase rare specimens directly from the sailors. Early botanical works were frequently illustrated with original woodcuts, and this book is a marvellous example of the impressive beauty that the relatively naïve method of woodcut illustration conveys in a botanical work, with a flower portrayed in line in singular contrast to the accompanying botanical description: altogether two thousand seven hundred woodblocks were individually cut for this massive herbal, which describes more than four thousand plants, most of them with medicinal properties. [Refs: Henrey 286; Hunt 235; STC 19302; Nissen 1490; Garrison-Morton, 1823; Norman 1643; Green, Landmarks of Botanical History].
