Von
Megenberg has been called a "Northern successor of
Albertus Magnus." He translated an original manuscript
of a Thomas of Cantimpre who lived in Belgium in the
13th Century. The manuscript of Thomas was called
De natura rerum and Von Megenberg's translation
first printed about 1475 was called Das Buch (Puch)
der Natur. It contained the earliest printed
natural history illustrations. The woodcuts depicting
plants were utilized to illustrate the text and not
merely for decoration. It served as a model for other
illustrated books and passed through six editions
before 1500. It had a wide circulation and presumably
was one of the "best sellers" of the period. The
original illustrated editions of Das Buch der
Natur are very rare and exceedingly expensive.
Among the important herbals printed during the 15th
Century may be listed as follows:
Herbarium of Apuleius - Published in Rome in
1481 or 1483.
Herbarius Latinus - 1st herbal printed in
Germany. Author is anonymous. It was a compilation of
medieval and classical writers and was intended for
the poor people. The herbal listed cheap and simple
remedies of plants found in the field and forest. The
text was in latin but names of plants were given in
German and in Latin.
Gart der Gesundheit - 400 illustrations,
published in 1485. This herbal was a compilation
worked out by the printer. The text was partly based
on Herbarius Latinus but the figures were
printed from new and more accurate cuts.
Many herbals appeared during the next quarter
century in the Netherlands, France, Italy, Switzerland
and Germany. All were compilations and frequently were
merely translations of other herbals. Wood cuts were
often sold from one printer to another.
