The Friend of Physicians and the Praise of Cooks: An Annotated Bibliography of Herbal texts in Special Collections At San Diego State University
Herbals Introduction | Bibliography of Herbals | Books On Herbals and Facsimile Editions
“Rhododendron Camtschaticum Tab. XXXIII” By Aislinn Catherine Sotelo, December 2003, under the supervision of Jennifer Martinez |
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Herbs have been the source of pharmacology, cookery, and materia magica since the beginning of human history. The importance of herbs for healing cannot be underestimated. For centuries, dating back to Dioscorides (fl. 1st century C.E.), the knowledge of botany was considered to be something almost sacred. Doctors who used these herbs held life, the most precious thing, in their hands. To be properly educated in recognizing and understanding valuable herbs was one of the most important skills an individual could develop. Traveling far and long looking for a specific herb would not have been easy. Someone would want to be exactly sure what it was one was looking for, and these herbal volumes would have provided a great source for an herbalist or a doctor. Many of the herbal texts are so detailed in their explanation of the physical appearance of the herbs, a layman would be able to recognize the herbs being described. With beautiful woodcuts, etchings, and engravings, some of which were even hand colored, the herbs described would have been even more recognizable to an illiterate person. Though the common person probably would not have owned these valuable and expensive herbal volumes, herbs would not have played any less of a part in their life. As well as their healing values, they would have been used in cooking and magical spells. Household manuals such as the Wolfsthurn manual, which Richard Kieckhefer examines in his book Magic in the Middle Ages, would have provided instruction for basic herbal remedies, recipes, and magical spells. These herbal volumes provide today’s reader with insight into the medical and botanical knowledge of the times in which the books were written. These herbals may also stimulate a broad range of scholarship in a variety of different fields. They are a great source for the contemporary botanist interested in studying the history of botany as well as students interested in the history of science or understanding the treatment of a particular ailment and how it was treated throughout history. Methodology This herbal annotated bibliography is organized in two parts. The first part lists original herbal texts, while the second is comprised of facsimiles and books of herbals. The entire bibliography consists of sixty-seven volumes which range in date from the fifteenth through twentieth centuries. Within the two sections, each entry is organized in alphabetical order by authors’ last names. Additional cataloging information is included above a description of the book. Included in the description are physical elements of the book such as information on illustrations the binding as well as existing indices and marginalia.
San Diego State University is fortunate to have had the majority of its
herbals donated to the library by Amy Josephine Wormser in 1983, however,
other donors of herbal volumes will not go unrecognized, as the provenance
of each book has been included. This herbal bibliography has been crafted
for the convenience of students and scholars throughout the world. Works Cited Throughout the process of creating this herbal annotated bibliography a number of references have been used, including: Arber, Agnes. Herbals Their Origin and Evolution: A Chapter in the History of Botany 1470-1670. Cambridge, UK: The University Press, 1938. Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Charles Coulston Gillispie, editor-in- The Dictionary of National Biography: Founded in 1882 by George Smith;
Gascoigne, Robert Mortimer. A Historical Catalogue of Scientists and Scientific Books:From the Earliest Times to the Close of the Nineteenth Century. New York, NY: Garland Pub., 1984. Kieckhefer, Richard. Magic in the Middle Ages. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1990. Nouvelle Biographie Générale Depuis les Temps les Plus
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Online Biography Created by Edo Williams & Jossie Chavez |
