Banckes's Herbal (1525)
"Here begynnyth a new mater the whiche sheweth and treateth of y e vertues & proprytes of herbes / the whiche is called an Herball Imprynted by me Rycharde Banckes xxv day of | Marche. The yere of our Lorde, M.CCCCC. & XXV.
1526. Second edition above. Only known copy is in the Cambridge University Library.
Before Banckes herbal in English, for over 1500 years the classical & the most influential book in Europe had been Dioscorides’ De materia medica in Latin. Until the Europeans’ reinvention of printing in the mid-15C, these texts were hand-written codices, used almost exclusively by the clergy& scholars in monasteries. A wider distribution of the information on medicinal plants in Europe began with the early herbals, which rapidly became very popular making information about medicinal plants available in the languages of the everyday people. These were still strongly influenced by Graeco-Roman concepts, but influences from many other sources came in during the 16C.
The first herbal printed in England was a small quarto volume published anonymously by the London printer, Richard Banckes, in 1525. It is generally referred to as " Banckes' Herbal," & is the first of a series of small books, chiefly in black letter, without illustrations, which appeared during the next thirty years. .This series may be distinguished from the larger & more important books with woodcut figures such as the " Grete Herball "& the herbals of Lyte & Gerard, which were based on works printed on the Continent. They came from the presses of various London printers, & were similar in size & external appearance. Some had titles closely resembling one another, & others carried the names of Macer & Askham, & the initials " W. C.," which have been supposed by bibliographers to represent the names Walter Cary & William Copland. Under all these names, therefore, these books may be found in various bibliographies such as Ames, Hazlitt, & others, & also in the printed catalogues of libraries and booksellers. Those having the appearance of anonymous works are generally grouped under the heading "Herbal." It is somewhat strange that these quaint & interesting old volumes have not been bibliographically compared & described. In the history of the herbal they are thought to be of little or no importance, the attention of those interested in this fascinating literature being centered upon the series of larger works with woodcut illustrations. This is one reason why little consideration has been given to this series of books. Another reason is probably to be found in the obscurity concerning their authorship, the various writers to whom they have been ascribed, & whose names have already been quoted, having nothing whatever to do with the writing of them. It will be seen later that they are all various editions of the herbal printed by Banckes in 1525, but with trifling modifications, additions, or omissions. " Banckes' Herbal," on account of its numerous editions, enjoyed a popularity which was not shared by any other English herbal, even to a third of its degree. But this popularity depended, doubtless, on the price at which these editions were sold. Being small in size as well as in contents, & without profusely illustrated with woodcuts, the "Grete Herball," which passed through 4 editions, the first in 1526, & the last in 1561. Old English Herbals, 1525-1640. By H. M. Barlow 1913
