More than words

De humana physiognomonia [On human physiognomy]
Giovanni Battista della Porta, published Hannover, 1593
CN11054 

Book bindings are more than practical protection to keep a book in good condition; they can also be decorative and informative. The stamp on this binding shows a crescent surrounded by the motto of the Order of the Garter, ‘Honi soit qui mal y pense’ [‘shame on anyone who thinks evil of it’], topped with an earl’s coronet. This indicates that it was owned by Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland (1564–1632), who had the nickname ‘The Wizard Earl’ because of his large library and interest in alchemy. 

Many aristocratic book collectors would add their coat of arms to their books to mark their ownership. The details of binding materials and structures can also reveal when and where a book was bound, helping to fill in the story of book’s long and often varied life. 

Acquired before 1899 

Οφθαλμοδουλεια, das ist Augendiest [The service of the eyes]
Georg Bartisch, published Dresden, 1583
CN20368 

The layers of this diagram of the eye can be lifted to reveal the internal structures: from fat and muscle on the outside, through the sclera and vitreous humour, to see the retina within.  

This style of illustration is known as an anatomical flap book, a technique that became popular in the 1530s as a way to engage readers with the three-dimensional structures of the body. They are extremely susceptible to damage, so their survival intact – as in this case – is rare. Explore the layers of the eye with the replica displayed further to the left along this wall.  

Acquired before 1757 

Woodblock carved with illustration of Artemisia maritima (sea wormwood)
Designed by Giorgio Liberale and cut by Wolfgang Meyerpeck, c.1562
Wellcome Collection, London 

Commentarii in sex libros Pedacii Dioscoridis Anazarbei De medica materia [A commentary on Pedanius Dioscorides of Anazarbus’ six books of medicinal materials]
Pietro Andrea Mattioli, published Venice, 1565
CN9279 
Reproduced from Wiley Digital Archives, courtesy of Wiley Ltd. 

The original woodblock used to print the image in this book, nearly 500 years ago, still survives. The illustration was made by carving the image in reverse into the block of hardwood, removing all the background and leaving the areas to be printed raised so that they could be inked.  

Woodcut illustration of this kind was the simplest and cheapest method for illustrating books. The woodblocks could be printed at the same time as the text of the book, making the process more efficient than the other available technique at this time – copperplate engraving. Engraved illustrations could achieve different effects of shading and tone, but had to be printed on a different press to the text of the book, making production slower and more complex – and therefore more expensive. 

Lent by Wellcome Collection, London 
Donated by Grace Pierrepont (1635–1703) 

The natural history of British fishes, volume 1 [from William Jardine’s The Naturalist’s Library] 
Text by Robert Hamilton, drawing by James Hope Stewart, engraving by WH, published Edinburgh, 1843
CN2497

The engraved illustrations in the 41 volumes of The Naturalist’s Library, published between 1833 and 1866, were all carefully coloured by hand. Some book colouring work was taken in by families and completed at home by women and their daughters, rather than at the publishing houses. As demand increased, studios of colourists were established in Edinburgh, London and elsewhere, overseen by a supervisor responsible for ensuring consistency between each worker’s output. This plate shows the common trout and northern char. 

Acquired after 1931 

Ophthalmographia [The description of the eye]
Vopiscus Fortunatus Plemp, published Antwerp, 1632 
CN20173

Robert Willard – a medical student at the University of Edinburgh in the 1780s – inserted plants between several pages of this book about eyes, or ophthalmology. Many of the plant specimens are still recognisable today – we can also identify them with some certainty because Willard labelled them with their common names. 

This daisy-like flower is pilewort (Ficaria verna, formerly Ranunculus ficaria, also known as lesser celandine). The petals would have been yellow, rather than white, and it was used – as the name suggests – in an infusion or ointment to treat haemorrhoids. 

Books printed on paper make an ideal medium for pressing flowers and plant specimens to dry and preserve them. People have done this over centuries; for example, to keep plants for botanical study, as souvenirs or to use them in artworks. 

Acquired after 1931 

The complete angler
Izaak Walton, place of publication unknown, 1824
CN33816

This book has a secret. When viewed head-on, the edge of the textblock seems as if it’s decorated only with a flat gold finish. However, when you fan out the pages a picturesque fishing scene appears, delicately painted across the edges of the pages. 

This style of hidden decoration, called a fore-edge painting, was popular as a deluxe book treatment in the 19th century. 

Bequeathed by Gladys Mary Wauchope FRCP (1889–1966)