A Medieval Herbal : A Facsimile Book

The magnificent herbal reproduced here in full for the first time is one of the most precious documents in the collections of The British Library. Written in Italy around AD 1300, it is particularly significant as it is probably the original manuscript of the Tractatus de herbis, a type of medieval herbal which was to become one of the most influential texts on medicinal plants between the fourteenth and the sixteenth centuries. It contains a vast corpus of information about plants and their medicinal uses, inherited from Greek, Roman and Arabic sources, and is illustrated with over 400 botanical paintings. The book covers an extraordinary range of vegetables, fruits and minerals, from quince to quicksilver and turnips to tamarind, with instructions on how to prepare each substance. There are also suggestions of the aphrodisiac, cosmetic and magical properties of herbs, and lively images in the margins of snakes, scorpions and wild dogs allude to the dangers of their bites. Printed in full colour, on paper which simulates vellum, it is impossible not to be captivated by this impressive facsimile. Over 700 years after it was created, it is still a source of fascination for the naturalist, the classicist and the booklover.