82 



The Botanical Renaissance 



[CH. 



many languages and appeared in countless editions. The 

 success of the work was phenomenal, and it is said that 

 32,000 copies of the earlier editions were sold. The title 

 does not do the book justice, for it contains, besides an 



Text-fig. 42. "Avena" = Oats [Mattioli, Commentarii, 1560]. 



exposition of Dioscorides, a Natural History dealing with 

 all the plants known to Mattioli. The early editions had 

 small illustrations only (Text-figs. 41, 42, 93 and 94), but, 

 later on, editions with large and very beautiful figures were 



