Hieronymus Bock, Kreütterbuch darin unterscheidt Nammen und Würckung der Kreütter [Herbal], 1587, "333 verso; mushrooms under tree."
Last Saturday, September 18th was Mushroom Picking Day—did you gather some delicious morsels or morels?
If you'd like to still get out there, what better guide to use than Bock's 16th-century herbal?
Many pages from this beautifully illustrated volume have been digitized and can be seen on the Libraries' Galaxy of Images.
When Bock originally published his "plant book" in 1539 there were no illustrations. Artist David Kandel's illustrations were used in later publications of the book, from 1546 on.
Mushroom picking is a popular pastime the world over, but one must be sure that they have a reliable mushroom/identification guide, if you don't have a Kreütterbuch at hand.
—Elizabeth Periale
One Comment
Great post. Picking up a wrong mushroom could mean a difference between life and death.