FOURE BOOKES OF HUSBANDRY Collected by M. Conradus Heresbachius, Counseller. Conteyning the whole Arte and Trade of Husbandry, with the antiquitie, and commendations thereof. Newely Englished, and increased, by Barnabe Googe, Esquire.

FIRST ENGLISH EDITION 1577. A translation of: Rei rusticae libri quatuor 1570, translated from Latin and expanded by Barnabe Googe. 8vo, approximately 190 x 130 mm, 7½ x 5 inches, full page woodcut armorial coat of arms on verso title page and a few pictorial initials, mostly printed in black letter, a quote from Genesis 3 on title page, small woodcut of a plant on folio 130. Leaves: [11], 1-194, some mispagination, collation and all catchwords correct, the last 2 leaves inserted from a second edition published a year later, one on bees, the other on Olde English Rules for Purchasing Land which should have "Faultes Escaped in Printing" on verso in the 1577 edition but has the colophon with the date 1578 at foot. Bound in half morocco over marbled boards, gilt lettering and floral decoration between raised bands and date at foot, marbled endpapers, yellow edges, bookplates of Maurice Frost, Bibliotheca Tiliana and Alan John Jarvis, bookbinder's tiny ticket at bottom of first pastedown. Binding rubbed, corners bumped, pale soiling to title page and following page, pale staining with tide marks to leaves 86-123 and 175 to end, 2 tiny Tiliana ink stamps to bottom of armorial image, armorial page slightly dusty, small repair to tip of outer corner of leaf 192, occasional small stains and spots otherwise a very good copy. The four books cover arable farming, including gardens and orchards; cattle and other livestock, including veterinary matters; plus bees, poultry and fish. There are 40 pages on bees at rear, 173-193. See: British Bee Books A Bibliography 1500-1976, page 38, No.9; Forum Auctions, catalogue, The Rothamsted Collection of Rarities from the Lawes Agricultural Library, July 2018, page 66, No. 126; Rachel Hunt, Catalogue of Botanical Books, Volume 1, page 116, No.108, listing the first Latin edition; Science Museum Library, Historic Books on Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, The Comben Collection by Pauline Dingley, page 88; Donald McDonald, Agricultural Writers 1200-1800, pages 46-48 for information on Barnabe Googe; Mary Aslin, Catalogue of Books on Agriculture 1471--1840, pages 269-270; Fussel, Volume 1, The Old English Farming Books 1523-1730, pages 12-13; W. F. Perkins, British and Irish Writers on Agriculture, pages 3 and 51; Gerard Oberle, Les Fastes de Bacchcus et de Comus, page 358, No.613; ESTC S103974; Luborsky & Ingram. A Guide to English illustrated books, 1536-1603, page 435, No. 13196: "The image of a curative plant is printed in the third book, which contains advice for healing the various afflictions of domestic animals. The text explains how the plant was discovered and refers the reader to the picture". MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING, ALL ZOOMABLE, FURTHER IMAGES ON REQUEST. POSTAGE AT COST AND ALL PARCELS SENT FULLY TRACKED AND FULLY INSURED. …