[Rarebooks] Culpeper, 1658, an association copy.

[Serendipity Books]

HERBALIST / FATHER OF ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE




Culpeper, Nicholas (translator) – 1616-1654. Best 
known for his COMPLETE HERBAL, first published in 1653.

Jean Fernel; Rivière, Lazare

Four books ...containing five hundred and 
thirteen observations, or histories, of famous 
and rare cures ... unto which is added ... Select 
medicinal counsels of John Fernelius ... All Englished by Nicholas Culpeper ...

London, Printed by Peter Cole, 1658

4to,  full French very fine crushed red morocco, 
gilt, a.e.g., by G. Huser. Marbled 
endpapers.  Triple flyleaves front and rear, by 
the binder. Covers modestly rubbed along the 
spine, one cover scrape.  The binder has shaved a 
few of the last digits in a few page 
numbers.   Minor internal wear.  8.75” = 27.305 cm.

[16], 1-118; 219 [sic] – 417 pp.


Provenance:  R. O. [??] Pharr [conceivably 
Phaff”], signature on title, 17th or 18th 
century;  bound in the early twentieth century 
for Sir A [uguste] Charles Valadier, KBE; CMG. = 
dental surgeon, first to the front in WWI, sent 
by General Haig, advanced the science by 
developing new techniques in jaw surgery. His 
name imprinted on the turn in.   A Phillipp Pfaff 
(1716-1780) was the author of the first important 
German manual of dentistry (see G-M 3673), 
leading one to look twice at the early owner’s 
signature, given the prominence as a dental 
surgeon of the last owner A fine association.



Signatures: [title.], A-C2, D, D-Z4, Aa-Ll4, Rr4, 
Ss4, Tt24, Vv-Zz4, Aaa4, Bbb2, Ccc2 (C2, final leaf a blank, not present).


The ideal OCLC copy measures a fraction taller at 
28cm, the loss in our copy attributable to all 
edges gilt.   The work is sometimes found bound 
with another of Culpeper’s works, e.g. THE PRACTICE OF PHYSIC, as at Yale.


Almost all of Culpeper’s works were published in 
the last five years of his life. Culpeper's 
Herbal was first published in 1652 with title: 
The English Physitian.  The Four Books of 1658 is 
among the very scarcest of all versions of the 
recipes.  Here are 513 “Observations”; LXX 
“Counsels”, with 9 further “Counsels” to 
conclude.  A very rare book, almost never at 
auction or offered elsewhere. Culpeper’s herbal 
remedies (Boston, 1708) would become the first 
medical book (94pp) printed in America (G-M 
1828.1). His herbal would be the first 
full-length medical book published in North 
America, from the 1653 London edition (G-M 1828.2).


<http://firstsearch.oclc.org/WebZ/FSQUERY?searchtype=hotauthors:format=BI:numrecs=10:dbname=WorldCat::termh1=Rivi%E8re%5C%2C+Lazare%5C%2C:indexh1=pn%3D:termh2=1589-1655.:indexh2=pn%3D:operatorh1=AND:sessionid=fsapp3-51069-f67hktgj-li5ba6:entitypagenum=3:0:next=html/records.html:bad=error/badsearch.html>Rivière, 
Lazare, 1589-1655.
<http://firstsearch.oclc.org/WebZ/FSQUERY?searchtype=hotauthors:format=BI:numrecs=10:dbname=WorldCat::termh1=Culpeper%5C%2C+Nicholas%5C%2C:indexh1=pn%3D:termh2=1616-1654%5C%2C:indexh2=pn%3D:operatorh1=AND:sessionid=fsapp3-51069-f67hktgj-li5ba6:entitypagenum=3:0:next=html/records.html:bad=error/badsearch.html>Culpeper, 
Nicholas,; 1616-1654, ; tr.
<http://firstsearch.oclc.org/WebZ/FSQUERY?searchtype=hotauthors:format=BI:numrecs=10:dbname=WorldCat::termh1=Fernel%5C%2C+Jean%5C%2C:indexh1=pn%3D:termh2=1497-1558.:indexh2=pn%3D:operatorh1=AND:sessionid=fsapp3-51069-f67hktgj-li5ba6:entitypagenum=3:0:next=html/records.html:bad=error/badsearch.html>Fernel, 
Jean,; 1497-1558.



Known locations:


Cambridge (UK)
College Physicians, Philadelphia

Harvard (Houghton)

Harvard Med

NY Academy of Medicine

UCLA

UMass Med

Univ of Rochester Med Center

Univ of Wales

Yale

Yale Med Library


A very rare medical book.   $8500.00



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1) Any book may be returned for any reason.
2) We welcome Mastercard, Visa, Amex, Personal Checks, Payment by Wire.
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4) Institutions may be invoiced to suit their requirements.
5) California Sales Tax charged to California addresses.

************

Peter B. Howard
Serendipity Books
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Berkeley, CA 94702
voice: (510) 841-7455
fax: (510) 841-1920
e-mail: pbhoward at serendipitybooks.com
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