Der Swangern Frauwen und Hebammen Rosegarten.

RÖSSLIN, Eucharius [ROESSLIN]

Published by Martin Flach, Strassburg, 1513

Strassburg: Martinus Flach, 6 March 1513. 4to (207 x 150 mm). [114] pp. Collation: A-N4 O6 (-O6), title with woodcut border of four blocks by Hans Baldung Grien, four full-page woodcuts comprised of two illustrations in duplicate and twenty smaller woodcuts. Colophon: "Argentine Martinus Flach iunior impressit . Anno.Mcccccviij." Lacking final blank only. Leaves D2 misbound after D3, N1 after N2 and N3 after N4. Early 20th century full calf over thick wooden boards with single brass clasp, spine with three raised bands, boards ruled and decoated in gilt, binding in the style of Roesslin's dedication copy to Katherine (extremities little rubbed). Text little browned throughout, light soiling and spotting in places, light dampstaining to first three gatherings, old paper repairs to corners or blank margins of fourteen leaves (with browning of repair-paper), small wormtracks throughout (more frequent in first leaves) partially affecting text. Blank verso of title-page backed with thin paper, author's name and year added in contemporary hand, illegible old ownership inscription "Ex bibliotheca Stoles(?)". Provenance: from a French private medical library. Still a very good, wide-margined copy. ---- EXTREMELY RARE FIRST EDITION OF THE EARLIEST PRINTED TEXTBOOK ON MIDWIFERY, published by Martin Flach in Strassburg on March 6, 1513. The Hagenau edition, sometimes erroneously stated as the first edition is actually a reprint dated by Benzing ca. 1515. (see Benzing, Norman and Garrison-Morton online for correction). The Cologne edition - sometimes erroneously assigned as second Hagenau issue (which is nonexistent, see Benzing) - is dated ca. 1518. Roesslin's book is based on the manuscripts of Soranus of Ephesus who wrote in the second century AD and the c. sixth-century Moschion Codex in the Royal Library at Brussels. In all probability Roesslin got his inspiration for the illustrations of the fetus in utero from the Heidelberg Codex in the Vatican Library. Martin Flach had them cut in wood by the noted Formschneider Erhard Schön and they continued to be used by Roesslin's successors until the 18th century. The twenty woodcuts in the text present for the first time illustrations of positions of the fetus in utero, a birth chair, and twins, including Siamese twins. The figures of the fetus were derived from those found in the manuscripts by Soranus and Moschion. For almost 200 years, these woodcuts were reprinted in editions of Roesslin's work or copied in the works of later writers, including Jacques Guillemeau and Jacob Rueff. The full-page dedicatory woodcut depicts the author presenting his book to Katherine, Duchess of Brunswick and Lüneburg, who is thought to have encouraged Roesslin to produce the work and to whom he dedicated the volume. The binding and style of decoration of our copy is based on this presentation copy given to Katherine as depicted in the woodcut. Eucharius Roesslin was an apothecary of Freiburg im Breisgau in 1493. In 1506 he became physician to the city of Frankfurt am Main, and in 1508 he entered service at the court of Katherine. When he published the first edition of his Rosengarten, Roesslin had become town physician and a supervisor of midwives in Worms. In 1517, he returned to Frankfurt holding the post of town physician until his death in 1526. His son Eucharius the jounger, who published the first Latin translation of the Rosengarten in 1532, succeeded him as town physician of Frankfurt. (Norman, p.51). Thanks to the fact that two undated editions (Hagenau and Cologne) appeared around the time of the first dated Strassburg edition, the question of priority remained uncertain for long time. Benzing however has clearly shown that the two undated issues must have been of a later date. The earliest date for the first (Strassburg) edition is fixed by both, the granted imperial privilege to the author on 24. September 1512 and. . . Visit our website for additional images & information. Seller Inventory # 002586

Bibliographic Details

Title: Der Swangern Frauwen und Hebammen Rosegarten.
Publisher: Martin Flach, Strassburg
Publication Date: 1513
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Very Good
Edition: 1st Edition