Midwifery.- Rösslin (Eucharias) Der Swangern Frawen und Hebammen Rosengarten, pictorial woodcut title set within decorative woodcut border, 20 woodcut illustrations, of which one whole-page, some spotting and browning, some light marginal damp-staining and finger soiling, last few gatherings with small amount of worming, mainly marginal but affecting one or two letters, contemporary blind-stamped calf-backed boards, upper joint weak, spine rubbed, upper tie lacking clasp, modern black morocco presentation box, 4to, [Garrison-Morton 6138, Waller 8091], [Cologne, Arnt von Aich], [1518].

⁂ An early edition of the first printed textbook for midwives. Ground-breaking in its use of printed illustrations of the birthing chair and the foetus in utero, which are attributed to Matin Kaldenbach, a pupil of Albrecht Durer's, Rösslin's treatise remained influential for centuries. Published in the vernacular, it was immediately more accessible to a far wider audience and by the middle of the century it had been translated into all major European languages, as well as Latin. Following the accepted first edition of 1513, printed in Strasbourg, two undated versions appeared soon after, between which priority was for a long time uncertain. However, research by Joseph Benzing established a distinction between a c.1515 edition issued in Hagenau by Heinrich Gran, and a slightly later one from c.1518 from Cologne. The copy here offered is an example of the latter edition, the differentiation resting primarily on the variant title spelling of 'hebammen rosengarten' as opposed to 'habemm? rosengart?' (Joseph Benzing, 'Zu den ersten Ausgaben des "Rosengarten" von Eucharius Ro?sslin' in Das Antiquariat, vol. 12, 1956, p. 57-58).

Provenance: from the library of Irving Davis (Natural History, Scientific and Medical Books, Sotheby's 2nd-3rd April 1985); from the library of Jean Blondelet, one of the greatest collectors of rare medical books in the twentieth century (Books and Manuscripts, Sotheby's 31st May 2016).