London: Printed by Adam Islip, Joice Norton and Richard Whitakers, 1633. Folio, (325 x 210mm) *8, ** - ***6, A-B8, C-Z6, Aa-Zz6, Aaa-Zzz6, 4A-4Z6, 5A-5Z6, 6A-6V6, 6X4, 6Y-6Z6, 7a-7b6 (lacking first and last blanks), Engraved title, prelims. [xxxvi], text pp. 1-[1632], indices, 23 leaves, profusely illustrated with woodcuts of plants throughout the text, titlepage frayed and laid down, minor loss at lower margin but imprint still legible, 3 prelims with marginal strengthening, text generally clean but a few leaves with heavy waterstaining, margins of some Index leaves frayed and/or mended, last leaf laid down, 19/20th century brown morocco, stoutly re-backed, old spine laid on.
Perhaps not the most elegant copy, nevertheless this copy is textually complete and in a mechanically efficient binding which will last several generations. AND IT IS LESS THAN HALF THE PRICE OF A FINE COPY.
“Johnson’s Gerarde”, with 2765 woodcuts, is almost half as long again as the first edition (1597) and is, in every respect, immeasurably superior to its predecessor. In a Catalogue of Additions Johnson says “I have thought good to give you the names of all such as are added either in figure or description, or both” and proceeds to give a list of some 880 additions. He was commissioned by the publishers to produce this amended and enlarged edition at short notice in order to forestall Parkinson’s Theatrum Botanicum, believed to be imminent, (it finally appeared in 1640), and he complains bitterly in his preface that he “was forced to performe this task within the compasse of a yeare”, - an almost superhuman effort. Almost all the woodcuts were from a different source from Gerarde’s, (mostly from Plantin’s stock), but some of the figures he drew himself, notably the famous bunch of bananas on page 1516. This had been given him on 10th April 1633 by Dr. Argent, President of the College of Physicians of London, who had received it from Bermuda. Johnson’s drawing is the first illustration of bananas to be published in England. Having drawn and described them, he says - “ the stalke with the fruit thereon I hanged up in my shop, where it became ripe about the beginning of May, and lasted until June” . The shop was in Snow Hill, in the City, and it must have been there also that John Payne studied this unknown fruit before incorporating it into his engraved title-page.

STC 11751 Blunt & Raphael: Illustrated Herbal [1979] p.166 et seq. Henrey. 155

London: Printed by Adam Islip, Joice Norton and Richard Whitakers, 1636. Folio, *8, ** - ***6, A-B8, C-Z6, Aa-Zz6, Aaa-Zzz6, 4A-4Z6, 5A-5Z6, 6A-6V6, 6X4, 6Y-6Z6, 7a-7b6 (lacking first and last leaf, blanks), Engraved title, prelims. [xxxvi], text pp. 1-[1632], indices, 23 leaves, engraved title laid down, lower margin cut short occasionally touching a catchword short tears in 7A and 7A2 (index) mended. Profusely illustrated with woodcuts of plants throughout the text. 18th century calf, narrow floral border, fully gilt spine with red mor. title label and in the upper panel a black mor. label gilt with a crest of a boar chained to a tree (Swinton). Indistinct 18th century inscription “Mr John Swinton, younger..... 17??” on dedication leaf and on front pastedown “A present from A. Swinton of Manderston Esqr ..... Jan. 1. 1781”
This is the second edition of Gerarde to be edited by Johnson. It is a reprint of the 1633 edition, with the errata corrected, and in place of the list of errata on the verso of the last leaf there is now “An Advertisement to the Readers” by Johnson, for this edition.
On page 1516 is the famous woodcut of the bananas, a life study by Johnson from the first bananas to be seen in England. These had been given to him on 10th April 1633 by Dr. Argent, President of the College of Physicians of London, who had received them from Bermuda. Johnson’s drawing, which first appeared in his 1633 edition, is the first illustration of bananas to be published in England. Having drawn and described them, he says - “ the stalke with the fruit thereon I hanged up in my shop, where it became ripe about the beginning of May, and lasted until June” . The shop was in Snow Hill, in the City, and it must have been there also that John Payne studied this unknown fruit before incorporating it into his engraved title-page.
STC 11752 Henrey 156 Hunt Cat. 230 Bradley. I, p.283

1693. 12mo, 240pp, 19th century hard-grain red morocco, blind-stamped borders enclosed by a single gilt fillet, spine with 5 raised bands, decorated in gilt and blind, by Thouvenin, signed in blind at foot of spine, a.e.g. very fine.
First published in 1689 in Four Parts, this new edition contains a Fifth Part on pages 185 - 240. The present edition is rare. CcF finds only two copies, Toulon and Lyon, no copy in Bibliotheque Nationale; OCLC locates 4 copies in Germany, Mannheim, Hamburg, Potsdam and Dresden, and 2 in US, Texas and Wisconsin; apparently no copy in UK.
A scurrilous account of a scandalous affair between Louis XIV of France and Mary of Modena, wife of James II of England which, although the author claims in his preface “...on ne doit pas s’imaginer que la fiction ait quelque part dans cette Histoire.” has no proven historical truth. It is claimed to be a translation of an English anti-catholic work attacking the monarch’s conversion to catholicism. This would appear to be “The Amours of Messalina, late Queen of Albion... by a Woman of Quality” [Wing A3023]

Gay/ Lemonnyer vol.1 col.149 Brunet I, 244

London : Impensis G. B. 1601 [Vol. 2 Printed by Adam Islip, 1601]. First Edition in English
2 volumes in 1, folio, (324x208mm) [-]6, ❡4, a-b6, A8, B-Iii6, Kkk4, 357 leaves (lacking first blank), and A-Ggg6, Hhh4, Iii-Ooo6, Ppp8, 365 leaves (lacking last blank, Ppp2&7 in duplicate), cancel title to vol. 1 with imprint reading Impensis G.B.[ishop], occasional early ink marginalia and underlinings ,with an elegant cloverleaf nota mark, minor holes in vol.1 foremargin of V4 and in vol.2 lower margin of Dd3, none affecting text, 17th century full calf, triple fillet centre panels with floral cornerpieces in blind, spine fully gilt with stars, circles, and a distinctive carnation tool, title labels in 2nd and 3rd compartments, hinges sometime expertly renewed, a fine, tall and clean copy.
Written in the first century AD, Pliny's "Naturalis Historia" was essentially the highest authority for centuries on subjects relating to botany, zoology, geography, mineralogy, pharmacology, etc. It soon became a standard book of reference; abstracts and abridgements appeared by the third century. Bede owned a copy, Alcuin sent the early books to Charlemagne, and Dicuil, the Irish geographer, quotes him in the ninth century. It was the basis of Isidore's Etymologiae and such medieval encyclopedias as the Speculum Majus of Vincent of Beauvais and the Catholicon of Balbus. Holland is generally considered the greatest translator of the Elizabethan age. Lowndes regards this book as "A work of immense labour, and what few men of his time could have executed in a superior manner to Dr. Holland." It was claimed by Sir Sidney Lee to be ‘his most popular translation’.
STC (2nd ed.) 20029.5 [ESTC S115918] Pforzheimer 496 Lowndes p. 1885 McKerrow & Ferguson no.148

London: Printed by Adam Islip, Joice Norton and Richard Whitakers, 1633. Folio, (350 x 230mm) *8, ** - ***6, A-B8, C-Z6, Aa-Zz6, Aaa-Zzz6, 4A-4Z6, 5A-5Z6, 6A-6V6, 6X4, 6Y-6Z6, 7a-7b6 (lacking first blank, but the last blank looks genuine and has a minute wormhole matching the last gatherings), Engraved title, prelims. [xxxvi], text pp. 1-[1632], indices, 23 leaves, profusely illustrated with woodcuts of plants throughout the text, small rusthole in foremargin of title and next 4 leaves [see image], bound in 20c. antique-style sprinkled calf, 6 raised bands, titled in gilt direct to the spine in 2nd compartment, ffep from the previous binding(?). Provenance : Inscription on upper blank margin of the title-page “Johne Levingstonii awcht this book 5 May 1634”. A fine, clean and very tall copy [A1 retains a deckle fore-edge).
The ownership inscription proved to be a teaser, and I wish to thank David Pearson for suggesting a Scottish owner and Bill Zachs for identifying the word awcht as being Middle Scots for “owns”

“Johnson’s Gerarde”, with 2765 woodcuts, is almost half as long again as the first edition (1597) and is, in every respect, immeasurably superior to its predecessor. In a Catalogue of Additions Johnson says “I have thought good to give you the names of all such as are added either in figure or description, or both” and proceeds to give a list of some 880 additions. He was commissioned by the publishers to produce this amended and enlarged edition at short notice in order to forestall Parkinson’s Theatrum Botanicum, believed to be imminent, (it finally appeared in 1640), and he complains bitterly in his preface that he “was forced to performe this task within the compasse of a yeare”, - an almost superhuman effort. Almost all the woodcuts were from a different source from Gerarde’s, (mostly from Plantin’s stock), but some of the figures he drew himself, notably the famous bunch of bananas on page 1516. This had been given him on 10th April 1633 by Dr. Argent, President of the College of Physicians of London, who had received it from Bermuda. Johnson’s drawing is the first illustration of bananas to be published in England. Having drawn and described them, he says - “ the stalke with the fruit thereon I hanged up in my shop, where it became ripe about the beginning of May, and lasted until June” . The shop was in Snow Hill, in the City, and it must have been there also that John Payne studied this unknown fruit before incorporating it into his engraved title-page.
STC 11751 Blunt & Raphael: Illustrated Herbal [1979] p.166 et seq. Henrey. 155