BINDING:
Rebound. Brown leather over pasteboards. Headband and tailband present. Hollow backed. Sewn onto bands or cords that have been sawn in. On spine: five false raised bands. Some gold tooling around bands. In compartment two there is a dark leather label with the title TURNER'S HERBAL stamped on in gold. There are a number of wove paper leaves that have been inserted into this copy to mark where there are missing sections. These leaves are blank.
CONDITION:
Binding: Leather is cracking in a few places but is generally intact.
Pages: Original paper is foolscap (starts on page 15). There are 34 blank, wove pages (+1 inserted but unbound foolscap piece, marked as p. 3), preceding the original foolscap pages. These were presumably bound with the book so that facsimiles of the original pages could be added if required.
Large sections of the front and back of this book are missing. There is significant damage to the remaining front leaves that someone has repaired with masking tape. Extensive use of Japanese tissue paper to fix holes in the leaves; pieces of wove paper used to fix torn edges.
The text block has been trimmed poorly, especially in the fourth section -- page numbers and running headers have been lost and the last printed leaf is loose.The sections in the middle of the book however are not badly damaged.
Lacks general title-page, six unnumbered preliminary pages of volume 1, pages 1-3 and 6-14 of volume 1; and leaves 19-45 of volume 4.
DEDICATIONS:
To Queen Elizabeth I (*2v)
To the right worshipfull Fellowship and Companye of Surgiones of the citye of London (2*2v)
The Preface of the Author unto his well loved neighbous of bath Bristom, Wellis, Winsam and Charde (2*2v)
FORMAT:
2°: *4 A-B6 C8 D-T6, 2A-2Z6, 2A-2E6 2F4, 2*4 3A-3G6, 2G2, 3*43B-3D6, a-g6 h4 [$4 signed (+C5; -T4, -2Q3, -2*1, -2*2, -2*4, -2G2, -3*1, -3*4, -a1; misprinting N2 as 'N3', R2 as 'RD2', 2O2 as '22R2 as '2Q2', 2R3 as '2Q3', 3A4 as '3A3')] Missing due to mutilations: *4 A1, A3-4, B1,2F4, 3G6,3D6, c6, d-g6, h4. Leaves (accounting for missing): 366, pp. 3-4, pp. 15-43, pp. 37-223 224, [pp. 4], ff. 1-11 12 13-93 94 95-107 108 109-113 114 115-116 117 118 119-132, ff.131-148, ff.151-171, [ff. 4], pp.1-14 15 16-81 82, [pp. 12], pp. 1-17, [pp. 2], pp. 2-16, 29 (misprinting pp. 41 as '37', pp. 42 as '38, pp. 43 as '39', pp. 139 as '136', ff. 54 as '4', ff. 121 as '133', ff. 128 as '127', ff. 142 as '140', ff. 146 as '144', ff. pp. 45 as '46', pp. 11 as '8'). Boards Measure: 27.3 x 18 cm. Leaves measure: 26.5 x 17.5 cm.
MARGINALIA:
Printed Marginalia: Little to none.
Handwritten Notes: There are many instances of written notes in this copy, most of which appear to be addition sums. There is some evidence to suggest that this book was heavily written in, but that these inscriptions were trimmed off when it was rebound. However, the written notes in this copy seem to either be corrections, statements of ownership, or mathematical sums that have nothing to do with the text itself. Notable inscriptions can be found on: pp. 150, T5r+v, ff. 67, ff. 116v, 2G2v.
OTHER:
Large sections from the front and back of the book are missing. A series of photocopies made from film negatives account for the missing front matter.
BOUND WITH:
This edition has been bound with another book printed by Birckman in 1561: A most excellent and perfecte homish apothecarye or homely physick nooke for all the grefes and diseases of the bodye. Originially written by Jereome of Brunswick, this copy is a translation into English by Ihon Hollybrush.
TABLES/INDEXES:
A Table of the names of herbes [parts 1 and 2] (*4v)
Nomina Auctorum Per Quos In Herbario Meo Profeci. (*4r)
The Table [end of part one] (T5v)
The Table of the names of herbes [part 3] (2*4r)
Errata (2G1v)
The names of the learned men which write that the bathes have the virtues and properties which hereafter in this book I give unto them (3*3r)
The names of the bathes and places where they be, whereof is mentioned in this book (3*3r)
The names of the sicknesses which may be healed by the bathes (3*3r)
TYPE:
Blackletter Gothic with some Roman.
WATERMARK:
There appears to be three different watermarks in this copy. The first is an oblong shape with a cross over it. There is something written in the oblong but I cannot make it out. This watermark appears in the first and second parts of the book. The second watermark, which occurs in the third part, is either foolscap or a fleur-de-lis with a tail. The last watermark which occurs only in the fourth part, is some sort of monogram but I cannot identify the letters.