Libellus De Re Herbaria 1538

WILLIAM TURNER (c. 1508-68), clergyman, physician, herbalist and naturalist, has long been honoured as the 'father of British botany', being 'unquestionably the earliest writer among us that discovered learning and critical judgment in the study of plants.' His Libellus de Re herbaria (1538) and Names of Herbes (1548) are the first two printed books relating to the British flora which have any claim to originality. Both are now extremely rare books. Only one copy of the Libellus and less than ten of the Names of Herbes are known to be extant. Probably few copies were printed and their format was too humble to ensure careful preservation; moreover some may have perished during Turner's periods of exile from England when the government banned his theological works and ordered their destruction. They contain the first records of the occurrence of many plants in England, together with their vernacular English names. Some now current vernacular names were here introduced by Turner. The aim