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155 disbound leaves (of 360). All but about 20 of the leaves have one or more hand-colored woodcut illustrations. Double column; 55 lines and headline; gothic letter. (Folio) 11¼x7¾, leaves loose and laid into old blindstamped pigskin binding with initials "PS" and dated 1613 on upper cover. First Pruss Edition.

Substantial fragment from a great incunable herbal, with roughly contemporary hand-coloring. The woodcuts are medieval in character and based on the 1491 Hortus printed by Jacob Meydenbach of Mainz. The work covers not only herbs, but also treatises on animals, fishes and stones. In 1988 Nevada City, California printer/typographer Harold Berliner and D. Steven Corey, Head of Special Collections at USF's Gleeson Library had planned to collaborate on a leaf book of this item, and travelled to London to purchase it from the H.M. Fletcher firm who had bought the lot with another dealer at Sotheby's in 1988, and divided the leaves between them. Corey then made a study of the book and completed a six page draft for an introduction in 1990, which is included here, but sadly Steve passed away shortly thereafter and the project was never completed. The introduction comprises a very detailed bibliographical description of the book and well traces it's history and importance as a fifteenth incunable, would be a stepping stone towards completion of the project as a leaf book. Goff H-487.