Contrafayt Kreüterbuch: nach rechter vollkommener art vnd Beschreibungen der Alten, besstberümpten ärtzt, vormals in Teütscher sprach, der masszen nye gesehen noch im Truck auszgegangen.

Straßburg: Hans Schotten, 1532-1537, Folio, Full Pigskin, Brass clasps, with woodcut arms and 277 woodcuts of plants by Hans Weiditz, 2 plates of farm and forest scenes, numerous engraved initials. Finely Coloured in a Contemporary hand, some restored tears and a little soiling but a splendid copy in wonderful colour.

First Edition.

Brunfels is often called a father of botany, because, in his botanical writings, he relied not so much on the ancient authors as on his own observations and described plants according to the latter. In his Herbarum vivae eicones (1530 and 1536, in three parts) and Contrafayt Kräuterbuch (1532–1537, in two parts), the German plants he himself found during his botanical studies are represented with woodcuts by Hans Weiditz, under their German vernacular names. However, Duane Isely attributes much of Brunfels’ popularity to Weiditz, whose woodcuts set a new standard technically, and were done from life, rather being copied from previous works. Brunfels also introduced information about German plants not found in Dioscorides, and described them independently of their medical values.