900-page book lists hundreds of medicinal plants through colorful Renaissance-era woodcuts

Inasmuch as

History Illustration Science

#books #medicine #plants #woodcuts

Commemorated in his eponymous flower, the Fuschia, Leonhart Fuchs was a revolutionary German physician and botanical researcher. He published an immense catalog of his studies in 1543 entitled The New Grass, which combines colored woodcuts of approximately 500 plants with detailed writings on their physical characteristics, medical uses, and origins. Fuch’s own hand-colored copy remains in pristine condition to this day and forms the basis of a forthcoming edition published by Taschen. Weighing over 10 pounds, the nearly 900-page volume is an ode to Fuch’s research and the field of Renaissance botany, detailing plants like leafy garden balsam and root-covered mandrake. The New Grass is available for pre-order at Taschen and Bookshop.

Impatiens balsamina L., Garden Balsam, Common Balsam, Jewelweed

Pulsatilla vulgaris MILL., Pasque flower

#books #medicine #plants #woodcuts

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