De Historia Stirpium Commentarii Insignes

Natural History, Dec, 2003

(Notable commentaries on the history of plants), by Leonhart Fuchs (Basel, 1542: Octavo Editions, September 2003, CD-ROM ed.; $30.00)

Few gift givers have the resources to purchase a sixteenth-century herbal for the book collector or gardener on their list. Octavo Editions has the solution. Here, on one compact disk, is a complete facsimile of the first edition of the by Leonhart Fuchs, plus notes and commentary by the botanical historian Karen Reeds. Considered a landmark in scientific illustration when it appeared. Fuchs's book is still highly regarded for the fine detail of its woodcuts. Now, with the magic of modern digital imagery, it is possible to zoom in on every stem of hyacinth, every leaf of gentian. For book collectors with other interests, Octavo Editions (octavo.com) also offers a large variety of rare and highly sought-after titles--from an original Mercator world atlas to Josiah Dwight Whitney's 1868 Yosemite Book (the latter includes twenty-eight early albumen prints of one of. America's most popular landmarks). All the facsimiles are available, of course, for thousands of dollars less than the paper or parchment originals.