The Birth of Mankynde, otherwyse named The Womans Booke.

the first book of obstetrics

Likely sixth English language edition of 'the first printed book dealing exclusively with the subject of obstetrics as distinct from medicine and surgery', rare complete with the folding anatomical plate. An unsophisticated copy in contemporary calf binding with near-contemporary annotations (Norman, One Hundred Books Famous in Medicine 13). All early editions in both English and German are rare, with only three copies of the present edition appearing in auction records since 1992, all defective, and 6 copies of the 1545, 1552, and 1560 English editions appearing since the 1990s.

The first English language edition of this text, titled The Byrth of Mankynde, was published in 1540 and was based on a Latin translation of the German physician Eucharius Rösslin's Rosengarten of 1513, 'which had originally been garnered from fifteenth-century sources' (Hogan, 'The Birth of Mankind: Putting the text in context', blog of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, October 24, 2022). The translation was produced by Richard Jonas, working closely with the London publisher Thomas Raynald, who printed the first three editions.

In 1545 the text was substantially reworked by a physician confusingly named Thomas Raynalde, who added a 'Prologue to the Women Readers', corrected a number of errors made by the original translator, and reworked many of the remedies (Hogan). It was then published by R. Jugge. The Grolier Club's One Hundred Books Famous in Medicine lists four English language editions of which this is the fourth, but the Royal College of Surgeons cites editions in 1560, 1561, and 1564, making this the likely sixth edition, with 'newely set forth' in the title matching ESTC S94926 & S114566, but the complex printing history makes this difficult to confirm.

In addition to the two double-sided plates of birth figures that were present in the earliest version, this edition contains a folding woodcut plate with anatomical figures based on Geminus's Anatomy. These first appeared in the 1545 edition and are often lacking. This copy also shows evidence of use, containing manuscript annotations highlighting parts of the text for easy referral (for instance, 'pomegrantes' in the margin next to a sentence on their medical use) as well as numerous underlinings and four charming manicules. On the final leaf is a calculation of the difference in years between publication in 1565 and the date 1616, suggesting that the annotations were produced around that time.

The Birth of Mankynd 'influenced many other printed books of the period offering information on reproduction, fertility, pregnancy, birth, and written in an accessible, colloquial style. It also provided anatomical information and tips on parenting. As a result of it proving popular with both the medically trained and a wider audience of non-medical readers, the English work was a huge commercial success. It proved popular enough to remain in print throughout the period 1540-1654 with multiple editions appearing, some with recorded, accurate dates and some made during a period when the dates are missing or possibly inaccurately recorded' (Hogan).

Sixth English language edition; 8vo (19 x 14 cm); 2 double-sided plates, 1 folding plate, title within woodcut border, text in blackletter, decorative initials, printer's device on final leaf of text, contemporary ownership inscriptions, marginalia, and manicules, light dampstain affecting some portions of the text, largely in the corners, some marks and dulling of the contents, occasional small spots of worming, recently repaired closed tear to the final leaf not affecting text, rust mark to second plate, folding plate creased and spotted; contemporary English calf, centrepieces in blind, raised bands, some wear at the corners, ends of spine, and one of the raised bands, the calf of the upper board crackled and with three small spots of worming, a very good, unsophisticated copy; 290pp.

ESTC S94926 & S114566; Hook & Norman, Norman Library of Science and Medicine 1844 (second edition); Norman 100 Books Famous in Medicine 13.