First edition, illustrated. 1568 Deux Livres Des Venins, Jacques Grevin, 1567 Les Oeuvres de Nicandre (transl. Grevin). Plantin, Antwerp

The first edition, and only 16th-century French edition, of Jacques Grevin's work on poisons, with forty-eight illustrations, and a translation of the works of Nicander (also, focused on poisons).

Grevin, in the dedication, wrote (roughly translated), “For it seemed to me unreasonable—and even seemingly envious—that a matter so necessary for the preservation of human life (such as the knowledge of poisons, venoms, and their remedies) should remain hidden and buried in the darkness of a language understood by so few. We see daily the malice of men increasing, and the use of poisons becoming more frequent; is it not then the duty of a Physician to arm the people against these dangers, and to put the weapons of defense into the hands of those who are most often called upon to fight them?”

“By writing in our vernacular, I hope to remove this excuse for ignorance, so that they may no longer err in the preparation of the Theriac or in the cure of bites from venomous beasts.”

Of note is an illustration depicting a "dragon".

Although paginated and titled as two different works, Grevin appended his work on poisons with his translation of Nicander, and Plantin released them thus.

About the Author -

Jacques Grévin (1538 – November 1570) was a French physician, theatre-goer and poet. He lived in Clermont-en-Beauvaisis, in a private mansion, at number 3 rue de la Porte Nointel. A friend of Ramus, Du Bellay and Ronsard, he was in the last years of his life the physician of Marguerite of France, Duchess of Savoy, sister of Henry II of France; it was at the court of Turin that he died at the age of 32. - French Wikipedia

Provenance -

The ex libris plate of Charles Bruce, Viscount Bruce of Ampthill, is at the rear of the title page. A prominent British nobleman who served in both Houses of Parliament and was a notable patron of architecture and the arts.

The ex libris ticket of Haskell F. Norman (1915-1996) at the front pastedown. Norman was a psychiatrist who amassed one of the 20th century's most significant private libraries dedicated to the history of science and medicine.

Bibliographic Details -

Universal Short Title Catalogue (USTC) number 27813, 75 copies recorded in the world's finest libraries (Museum Plantin-Moretus, Trinity College Cambridge, Wellcome Library, British Library, Bodleian Library, Huntington Library, Folger Shakespeare Library among others).

Pettegree, Walsby, Netherlandish Books - reference 13799

Voet, The Plantin Press - reference 1266

Physical Attributes -

Measures approx. 21.5 x 16 x 3 cm. Vellum wrapper, with slight Yapp edges; spine with old sticker label at top. Plantin printer's marks, 48 illustrations, inhabited initials.

Pages - viii, 333, [9], 90, [2]

Collation - *4, A-X8, Y2, A-K4, L6. Two leaves (F1,F4) in the Nicander translation written in manuscript, in an old hand on laid paper, bound in appropriately.

Condition -

See pictures. Well-worn vellum with doodles (old faded hand), stains, waviness, expired ties, chipping to edges and corner. Pastedown lifted at front board. Many shelfmarks, ex libris marks, etc and an ex libris ticket on pastedown and blank front endpaper.

Text block with toning, thumbing, occasional page edge chip, fox spots, errant ink marks, dog-eared or chipped corner etc throughout. Occasional rust spot/moisture mark just at bottom margin.

Title page with toning, thumbing, chipped corner and tear at top edge; ink marks at top edge and graphite at publisher. Ex libris applied to back of title page.

2nd leaf repaired at top edge. 3rd leaf with chip at top edge and tear. Bottom 1.5" C5 fore-edge chipped away. Occasional darker toning near top of page. Small chip H1 fore-edge. 2" tear from fore-edge O5. Small worm track at top of page from V gathering to end. Nicandre F1 and F4 not present but provided in manuscript, bound in, in old hand.