(Google doc version with photos.)
Liber de arte distulandi [sic] simplicia et composita: Das nüv Bůch der rechten Kunst zů distillieren is a collection of scientific work in German by Hieronymus Brunschwig. This book also contains contributions from Marsilio Ficino’s Das Buch des Lebens, translated by translator and physician Johannes Adelphus, and a treatise from Konrad of Strasbourg. There are multiple copies of this book, held in multiple archives with different covers. The copy in the San Diego State Special Collections and University Archives has a hard white cover made from pig skin and blindstamped with an ornate design patterned with florals and small profiles of human figures: presumably kings and knights based on the crown and helmet on top of their heads, respectively. The spine is dotted with small deep wormholes, on both sides of the cover. There is more insect damage at both ends of the spine, which are cracked and peeling. The cover has cracks along the surface, most notably around the spine, revealing a whiter, brighter color beneath the top layer of the pig skin. The cover is modern compared to the text of Liber de arte distulandi [sic] simplicia et composita, which was published in 1509 by publisher Johann Grüninger.
On the inside of the cover, there is cursive handwriting indicating the title and author, and two rectangles of glued in printer paper. The glued in pieces of paper, seemingly written on a typewriter, summarize the content and physical state of the book. There are three names listed in the type and the handwritten text: Südhoff, Kristeller, and Schmidt. These names might indicate previous owners, but most likely, as their names are included with the publisher, it is likely that these are the names of people who have added additional elements to the text since print, such as the cover or restorations. For example, “Kristeller19” might be a reference to page 19 in the text, where a torn page has been repaired. The pages of Liber de arte distulandi [sic] simplicia et composita are printed on rag cotton paper in blackletter type, with multiple woodcut illustrations of plants and distillery practices. There is minimal water damage across the pages.
Liber de arte distulandi [sic] simplicia et composita: Das nüv Bůch der rechten Kunst zů distillieren was first published in 1505 under the title Medicinarius. Das Buch der Gesuntheit. Liber de arte distulandi [sic] simplicia et composita is a collection including Brunschwig’s Liber de arte ditillandi de simplicibus book 1 and 2, also called Kleines Destillierbuch. Published in 1500, Liber de arte ditillandi de simplicibus was the first book published in the German language on the topic of distillation. This edition was widely read in Germany and beyond, as distilled waters were used for medicinal purposes (Taape 2). Liber de arte distillandi de simplicibus explains the process of distillation, plants that can be distilled, and the diseases they can treat. The book was published by Johann Grüninger, a prolific German printer in Strassburg during the Holy Roman Empire (Chrisman 34). Gruninger’s career included texts in Latin and German, liturgical texts, classics, woodcut maps, and exploration accounts. Many of the woodcuts used throughout Liber de arte distulandi [sic] simplicia et composita had been used in previous Gruninger works, including but not limited to Brunschwig’s Chirurgia, or Gruninger’s reprinting of the Hortus Sanitatis, a Latin natural encyclopedia, both printed in 1497 (Attenborough).
According to Tillmann Taape, a researcher at the Institute for the History of Medicine and Ethics in Medicine at the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Liber de arte distillandi de simplicia, was a widely read commercial success, going through sixteen editions between 1500 and 1568. This widespread use, circulation, and revision suggests a text that is invested in practical use. This is also reflected in Brunschwig’s detailing of practical techniques for distillation: “Brunschwig makes it clear that his approach to medicinal knowledge is firmly grounded in craft practice…His instructions show that he was familiar with the necessary manual tasks such as making bricks and building furnaces. But he also refers to other artisans who employ similar equipment or materials, and tells his readers to use the heat of a baker’s oven for certain types of distillation, or to have pots made from the same ‘white clay from which goldsmiths’ and assayers’ crucibles are made’” (Taape 9). Here Brunschwig emphasizes the importance of hands-on learning and using the tools available to the layman. He acknowledges the reader who will have to make the stove and who has access to one through artisanal means. Brunschwig himself had little to no university education. There’s further indication that this book is for beginners: “Rather than haphazardly running through the ‘many ways of distilling known to the alchemists,’ Brunschwig selects a useful subset and ranks them in a logical order, according to complexity and cost. He describes ten key processes, five ‘without a cost’ as they do not require a special furnace, and five which can only be performed ‘at a cost and with a fire’ (Taape 12). Brunchswig’s work is explicitly accessible to those who can not afford special equipment but who still want the medicinal benefits of distillery. Even though Brunschwig’s work within Liber de arte distulandi (both simplicia and composita) delves into complex alchemic theory, which had a major influence on the development of medical chemistry, his work is still grounded in his experience with his own practice.
The water stains on the pages of San Diego State’s copy of Liber de arte distulandi [sic] simplicia et composita seem darker in some areas, as if the liquid spilled on them was darker than just water. There are also several pages with greasy spots on them and at least one annotation in the margins of the book. All of these express use, not just in an academic context separated from the physical practice at hand, but use while engaging in the practice of distillation. It is slightly ironic that the contemporary cover that surrounds this book has metal clasps and embossed depictions of kings, which imply exclusivity and prestige, when the ethics in this book are so grounded in accessibility and self teaching. Liber de arte distulandi [sic] simplicia et composita is an early representation of widespread access to a kind of healthcare grounded in self education and plant medicine, which attempts to separate itself from institutional barriers.
Works Cited
Attenborough, David. “Treasures of the Library : Ortus Sanitatis.” Cambridge Digital Library, cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/PR-INC-00003-A-00001-00008-00037/1. Accessed 25 Oct. 25.
“Brunschwig, Hieronymus. [Kleines Destillierbuch (German)]. Liber de Arte Distillandi, De Simplicibus. Das Buch Der Rechten Kunst Zu Distilieren Die Eintzigen Ding. Strassburg: Johann (Reinhard) Grüninger, 8 May 1500.: Christie’s.” BRUNSCHWIG, HIERONYMUS. [Kleines Destillierbuch (German)]. Liber de Arte Distillandi, de Simplicibus. Das Buch Der Rechten Kunst Zu Distilieren Die Eintzigen Ding. Strassburg: Johann (Reinhard) Grüninger, 8 May 1500. | Christie’s, Christie’s , www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-2534322. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
Brunschwig, Hieronymus, u. a. Liber de arte distulandi [sic] simplicia et composita : Das nüv Bůch der rechten Kunst zů distillieren. [Johan Grüniger], 1509.
Chrisman, Miriam Usher. “Lay Culture, Learned Culture : Books and Social Change in Strasbourg, 1480-1599 .” Internet Archive, New Haven : Yale University Press, 1 Jan. 1982, archive.org/details/layculturelearne00chri/page/34/mode/2up.
“GRUNINGER, Johann.” Daniel Crouch Rare Books, crouchrarebooks.com/mapmakers/gruninger-johann/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
“Liber de Arte Distulandi [Sic] Simplicia et Composita : Das Nüv Bůch Der Rechten Kunst Zů Distillieren.” San Diego State University Library , csu-sdsu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?context=L&vid=01CALS_SDL%3A01CALS_SDL&search_scope=MyInst_and_CI&tab=Everything&docid=alma991011148489702917. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
Taape, Tillmann. “Distilling reliable remedies: Hieronymus Brunschwig’s Liber de arte distillandi (1500) between alchemical learning and craft practice.” Ambix vol. 61,3 (2014): 236-56. doi:10.1179/0002698014Z.00000000060