BOTANIK - Herbal books - Platearius, Matthaeus. Le grant Herbier en francoys: Contenant les qualitez: vertus: et proprietez des herbes: arbres: gommes: semences: huylles: et pierres precieuses: extraict de plusieurs traictez de medecine: Comme de Avicenne: Rasis: Constantin: Isaac: Plataire: et ypocras... Imprime nouvellement a Paris. With 2 small woodcuts to the title, over 300 woodcuts to the text and printer's mark at the end. Paris, [Alain Lotrian, ca. 1535]. Cl.-4° (20.5 × 15 cm). [188] pp. Collation: aa8 bb-cc4 dd6 a-z4 p4 A-F4 G8 H-L4 M8 N-O4 P6. Restored leather binding of the period with later hs. Spine label (neatly executed material additions, covers with minimal worming). Brunet I, 378 - Nissen BBI 2336 - Hunt 35 - Fairfax Murray, French 226 - Later edition of the only early herbal, which originated in France and was first printed around 1487 under the title Arbolayre. The anonymous text, which circulated in manuscripts in the fifteenth century under the title "Secrets de Salerne", is a compilation of various medieval sources. In contrast to the German and Latin herbal books, it is mainly taken from the French version of the "Antidotium" Dispensarium or Circa instans by Matthaeus Platearius, which it adopts almost word for word and supplements with additional material from various Arabic authors such as Avicenna (Ibn Sina) or Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi. The woodcuts are reduced copies after Johann Grüninger's editions of the Gart der Gesundheit. - Evenly browned, somewhat dampstained in lower margin. - Ownership annotations and marginalia in an old hand. - Signed. Ex-libris Germain Barré.