ACOSTA, CRISTOBAL DE

Tractado de las drogas, y medicinas de las Indias Orientales, (con sus plantas debuxadas al vivo por Cristobal de Acosta, médico y cirujano que las vio ocularmente). Tractado del elephante

ACOSTA, CRISTOBAL DE.

Tractado de las drogas, y medicinas de las Indias Orientales, (Con sus plantas debuxadas al vivo por Cristobal de Acosta, médico y cirujano, que las vio ocularmente)-Tractado del elephante. Printer: Martín de Victoria. Burgos, 1578. Size: 20,5 x 14,5 cm. 256 leaves (512 pages) . 49 full page xylographic pictures and a further 72 with beautiful capital letters.

This book introduced Europe to the most important Asian plants from the medicinal perspective and their use as spices, such as cinnamon, pepper, clove, nutmeg, tamarind, rhubarb, ginger, etc. For many centuries Europeans had been consuming these products, which arrived from the East by means of the "spice route" or the "silk route", but were unaware of the plants they came from. Cristóbal Acosta made many long journeys across eastern Asia, during which "he saw them with his own eyes", studied them and "sketched them in real life". On his return to Spain, this work presented the results of his labour, offering almost fifty drawings of surprising accuracy, which were the first printed images on this theme. As an annex, the work contains a Tractado del elefante, which is also the first monographic study published on this animal, with two drawings which brought an end to the fanciful images which were in circulation at the time in Europe.

The facsimile is an impeccable copy of the first edition, kept in the University of Valencia History of Medicine Library. Acosta´s Tractado was one of the scientific books with the greatest number of reeditions in the Europe of the era, and translations into several languages.

-Our edition: Valencia 1996. From the copy kept in the Biblioteca Histórico-Médica de la Universidad de Valencia.

-Edition of 3.000 copies, numbered and signed by notary, and with the signature of the printer-publisher.

-Binding: Parchment on wooden board.

-Presentation case cloth lined with gold engraved leather spine containing facsimile and study in Spanish.

-Specially made laid paper.

-Study in Spanish conducted by José María López Piñero (Director of the Institute of Documental and Historical Studies on Science of the University of Valencia-CSIC). Included in Bibliofilia Antigua IV.