GERARD (JOHN) The Herball or General Historie of Plantes... very much enlarged and amended by Thomas Johnson, engraved pictorial title incorporating a portrait of the author, upwards of 2800 woodcut illustrations, without first and final blanks, title frayed at edges (not affecting printed area), an unusually clean copy with no cropping or shaving, modern morocco by Bayntuns of Bath [ESTC S122175; Henrey 156; Hunt I, 230; Nissen BBI 698], folio (335 x 222mm.), Adam Islip, Joice Norton and Richard Whitakers, 1636 Thomas Johnson, an apothecary and amateur botanist, enlarged and edited Gerard's great sixteenth-century herbal, including some 800 new plant species, more illustrations, and amending errors. Whilst Johnson's "alterations added more scholarly descriptions at a time when Britain was on the cusp of a scientific enlightenment, the Herball's enduring appeal lies in John Gerard's engaging text, full of personal accounts, and his descriptions rooted in folklore" (Royal Collection Trust, website). Provenance: Arthur Warwick Sutton (1854–1925, English horticulturalist and partner in Sutton Seeds), ownership signature dated 1886 on front free endpaper and on loose fly-leaf.