122 - [ESTIENNE, Charles]. *De vasculis libellus* ...—*Seminarium sive Plantarium* ...

[ESTIENNE, Charles]. *De vasculis libellus* ...—*Seminarium sive Plantarium* ... A fine set of two humanist dictionaries intended for young readers in their first editions, including Charles Estienne’s rare treatise on arboriculture. Paris, Ex officina Rob. Stephani [Robert Estienne], 1536 and 1535. In-12, brown half-basane, smooth spine decorated with small iron tools and gilt fleurons. 107 pp. and 10 unnumbered folios. (table of contents and errata); 56 pp. and 4 unnumbered folios (index). In Latin. Corners and edges worn; removal of a central section has weakened the binding; rare minor foxing. Contemporary artificial binding combining two dictionaries in their original editions: - *Seminarium sive Plantarium earum arborum, quae post hortos conseri solent*: *quarum nomina, fructus, item etiam conserendi vocabula apud authores benè recepta hoc libello declarantur*. The first dictionary of arboriculture from the French Renaissance. It includes “vernacular” French terms in italics, particularly for varieties of apple trees (late-ripening, hastif, wild, rootstock, grafted). - A Short Treatise on Vessels, Compiled from Baïf for the Benefit of Youth, with Common Interpretations of Latin Terms. An abridgment based on the works of Lazare de Baïf. It catalogs the traditional nomenclature of vases, tableware, and containers. The Latin definitions are accompanied, once again, by their equivalents in the French of the time. Charles Estienne (1504–1564), a physician, botanist, and humanist from the famous dynasty of royal printers, was one of the leading minds of the Renaissance to popularize the natural sciences and archaeology for the education of the youth, before authoring his agronomic masterpiece, *L'Agriculture et Maison Rustique*. The interior is in fair condition and could benefit from a new binding.