Memory of the World; 2012 - unesdoc - Unesco

lock-printed in 1593. It was the first edition to be printed
in this way and all subsequent versions produced in
China and internationally are based on this one. Volumes
are arranged by medicinal source: for example, several
volumes deal with vegetables, others with grasses,
animals with scale and animals with shell. One volume
also deals with different human body parts which can be
used as medicine. A contents list takes up one volume
while two are books of illustrations. In addition to its
invaluable content matter, the book’s stylized design
and detailed illustrations are beautiful.
The first draft was published in 1578 when China’s
Ming dynasty (1368–1644) was at its height. The dynasty’s
� Statue of the author, Li Shi-zhen
hegemony was so powerful that, through its reach, the
influence of the Compendium extended over the Far East
region, notably into Japan and Korea. A Polish scientist,
Jesuit missionary and explorer also took the book back to
Europe in the 17th century, translating it into Latin and
enabling its spread across the world.
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