Scotia Illustrata sive Prodromus Historiae Naturalis in quo Regionis natura, Incolarum Ingenia & Mores, Morbi iisque medendi Methodus, & Medicina Indigena accurrate explicantur; et.....

Edinburgh: Jacobi Kniblo, Josuae Solingensis & Johannes Colmarii, 1684 A good copy of this scarce work, in later full cloth binding with 22 illustrations on 20 plates. Robert Sibbald (1641-1722) was born in Fife and qualified as a physician after study in Leiden and Paris. He was appointed as the first Professor of Medicine at Edinburgh University and became Geographer Royal in 1682. He had a particular interest in creating frameworks for proper study - the proper institutions and evidence base. This work 'The Illustrated Essay of the Natural History of Scotland' is a systematic review of the natural resources of Scotland - from the weather to geography, geology, plant and animal life - including disease and local cures. This copy has a sound but worn rebacked cloth binding with gilt titles and date to spine. There is an ink signature of I Strachan to the fep, which is not original, and some ink letters and numbers to the initial blank, which is. Contents with title page; dedication 2pp; contents framework 1p; approvals; and text laid out in 3 main sections with separate title pages and pagination; followed by an Appendix; further text and errata and the plates bound at the rear. Sections: title page 1683; poem 1p; diploma 2pp; text pp 1-15; half title; 4pp diploma 2pp; praefatio 3pp text pp 1-47; finis. blank text 49-102; finis partis primae; index 6pp. Title page 1684; dedication 2pp; index 2pp; texxt pp 1-56; catalogus plantarum pp 57-62; text pp 63-114; finis partis secundae; index 6pp; title page 1684; dedication 2pp; index 2pp; text pp 1-35; finis; appendix pp 36-7; index 4pp; half title; index 1p; text 41-56; index 2pp; plate list 1p; errata 1p; finis; plates. Contents are in very good clean condition. There is occasional light staining in the margins - mostly the top margin; very occasionally at the side. There are some very small ink lines in a blank area on one page; and one mispagination - 3rd part - 11-10-11-14 - with continuous text. There is an ink signature of Eben Vetch 1706 on the main title page.