In foliis folia, I
Erbari nelle carte estensi
(Herbals from the collections of the Biblioteca Estense, Modena)

Il Bulino, Modena 1994

not available anymore

In Italian - Edited by A. Battini and M. Bini - 23.5x31 cm, 200 pages, 172 illustrations, colour and b/w.

This book aims at providing specialists or simple lovers with motives for studying the threefold relationship man-vegetable kingdom-book. The book sums up, with scientific rigour, the long and fascinating history - from ancient times to nowadays - of man's approach to flora, always subdued to his studies - i.e. botany - and his care, and still always able to attract him. The Introduction and the Chronological Sections are constantly completed by the peculiar power of illuminated, engraved, or water-coloured illustrations. The research ranges over a long historical period, so to deal with the "Tacuina sanitatis" and the "Giardini dei semplici", with Renaissance botanic gardens and the beautiful illuminated parchments of "Dioscoride" or "Herbolaire", up to the "Erbario Estense" of the 16th century and the precious and successful books by Brunfels, Fuchs, Mattioli, Aldrovandi, Blackwell and De Candolle in the following centuries. A second volume, representing the second part of this research, focuses on gardens (see next page).