Welcome to the Eng 419A Book Blog!  This is a blog about The Herball, or Generall historie of Plantes by John Gerard (1545-1612), and the three editions kept in the Rare Books and Special Collections (RBSC) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) Vancouver campus.  The Herball was popular when it was published (during the 16th-17th centuries) and is still published now (about 400 years later!).  The editions belonging to the RBSC consist of a first edition of The Herball which was published in 1597, a revised edition published in 1633 and an edition published 1636.  Between 1633 and 1636 editions, there are not a lot of changes.  The purpose of this blog is to review the physical qualities of these books as well as aspects of their genre, that is, herbals.  This blog will also provide a short biography of Gerard himself, along with some information about his sources which he allegedly drew upon heavily for his revised 1633 edition.  To begin your herbaceous journey with some information on Gerard, click here.