Berkeley Library. Trinity College. 더블린(Dublin)

Berkeley Library. Trinity College. 더블린(Dublin). 아일랜드(Ireland)

tcd.ie

 

 

 

 

 

The Department of Early Printed Books and Special Collections

The Department of Early Printed Books and Special Collections (EPB) is located in the East Pavilion of the Old Library with access via the Berkeley Library. The Old Library, the home of research in Trinity College Dublin for almost 300 years, houses the oldest and most valuable books in Ireland.

Besides early printed books and pamphlets, EPB collects private press items, limited editions, signed books, Irish literature and much else that is of value to researchers. The collections are continuously increasing, both through legal deposit of new Irish works and by purchase or donation. Cataloguing is constantly in progress to ensure that as much of the collection as possible is available to readers. We look forward to adding you to the generations of reseachers who hav studied here.

 

E. Blackwell

Herbarium Blackweellanum emendatum et auctum id est Elisabetha

Blackwell collection stirpium

Nuremberg, 1750-1773

Six folio volumes                                                                Shelfmark : Fag.GG.3.5-10

 

Elizabeth Blachrie was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, early in the eighteenth century but eloped with her doctor cousin, Alexander Blackwell, to London amidst doubts as to the veracity of his medical qualifications. Here, Alexander worked for a printing firm for a short time before setting up his own print shop. However, as he had not served an apprenticeship, he was fined heavily for breaking the trade rules and ended up in a debtor's prison.

 

In order to make ends meets, Elizabeth came up with the idea of creating a new herbal - a description of plants and their medicinal uses - to include more exotic, unfamiliar plants as well as those found in Britain. Having a not inconsiderable talent as an artist, she would draw and engrave the images and her husband would provide the Latin names and the medical information. Supported by a number of eminent physicians and aided by norticulturalists and visits to the Chelsea Physic Garden, the resulting two-volume work containing 500 plates, published in London between 1737-1739, was a great success, enabling Alexander to be released.

 

Blackwell's Herbal was subsequently translated into German by Christoph Jacob Trew (1695-1769), a doctor and botanist with a passion for books, who also added more information to the descriptions. Nikolaus Freidrich Eisenberger (1707-1771) reengraved the plates and this six-volume edition was produced. Trinity College Dublin Library acquired the set at auction in 1802 as part of the Fagel Collection of around 20,000 items. on display here are the red rose (rosa rubra) in Vol. I and columbine (aquilegia) in Vol. V.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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