The Herball, or, Generall historie of plantes

This copy of John Gerard’s Herball might have once been owned by Charles I, whose coat of arms is featured on the binding. It is a 1636 edition of the work, itself one of the most famous English examples of a ‘herbal’. These were books that described the medicinal and culinary properties of different plants. This one lists plants found in England and across the world, and contains over 2,500 illustrations. Normally, the illustrations would be in black and white, but in this copy, someone has coloured each one.