MONARDES, Nicolas

by Nicolas Monardes

£32,500 · Offered by Sokol Books

A fine copy of the very rare third edition in English, translated by John Frampton, of several most interesting Spanish treatises by Monardes. “The author was one of the most distinguished Spanish physicians of his time. This is the third edition, with additions, of the English translation of his book on the curative plants of the New World; the first and second editions having been printed in 1577 and 1580 respectively. The work opens with a notice on Columbus’s discovery, and among other things, contains a long article on tobacco. (folios 33 – 45)” Church. “The Spanish discovery of the new world produced not only a supply of precious metals but of rare plants apt for study as potential drugs and the means to miraculous new cures. Early among those who pursued these botanical novelties was Nicolás Monardes of Seville, who collected, studied, catalogued, grew and integrated them into his medical practice. After many years, he wrote a singular treatise which was translated into several languages including English and Latin in several spirits at once: a botanical collection; a book of Pharmaceutical simples; a treatise on miraculous cures; a book of wonders; and a work promoting the commercial exploitation of overseas resources. These diverse rhetorical aspects become even more apparent in the work’s translation into English by the merchant-trader John Frampton of Bristol. Monardes’ treatise is not only scientific in its import, but a print culture phenomenon revealing how the

• Binding: Hardcover

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