The Besler Florilegium
Besler (1561- 1629) was a respected Nuremberg apothecary and botanist, best known for his monumental Hortus Eystettensis. the was the curator of a magnificent garden belonging to a Prince-Bishop in Bavaria who was also an enthusiastic botanist and commissioned Besler to compile a codex of the plants growing in this garden that was then published as a plant atlas or florilegium, printed in large format in 1613, indexed in both Latin and old German names. This current volume is a magnificent facsimile edition of the rare hand-colored 17th century masterpiece and is arguably one of the most splendid works ever produced on flowering plants. The oversize botanical drawings (373 full-page color plates) are accompanied by the original captions in beautiful calligraphy as well. The entire book is a rather stunning work of art.
Specifications
| Author | Besler, Basilius |
| Illustrator | Illustrated by author |
| Publisher | Harry N, Abrams |
| Place Published | New York, United States |
| Year Published | 1989 |
| Date of First Edition or Edition Notes |
1613 |
| Size | Folio (385mm x 30mm x 6mm & 7-8kgs approx) |
| Chapters | Unspecified |
| Pages | 542pp |
Condition Report
| Cover | Hardcover with cream cloth covered boards with a very sound spine and pictorial laminated dust wrapper both in pristine condition housed in a solid white laminated pictorial slip-case in very good condition with only minor soiling original top and bottom cloth covered sides. |
| Overall | The exquisite illustrations and text are also in a pristine state, each of the 542 pages having been carefully inspected for any damage at all, hence the book is overall near-fine original better. |