Shakespeare in Print - Shakespeare’s Printer
#27 Helkiah Crooke, Mikrokosmographia, or a Description of the Body of Man (1615)
In 1615, William Jaggard partnered with Helkiah Crooke to publish Mikrokosmographia, the first anatomy book in English to be compiled by a physician. In a letter to the reader Jaggard explained his interest in the book, writing that anatomy was “a matter much affected by me,” and that he had expended “no mean care and cost” in producing it. Jaggard also published an epitome of Crooke’s book that included only the woodcut illustrations in a smaller, cheaper, and more accessible format. The first edition was attributed to “W.J. Printer.” Taken together, the two books demonstrate Jaggard’s intellectual commitment to and financial investment in the works he chose to publish. This is the first edition of Mikrokosmographia. An early owner, Arthur Champernowne, has inscribed his name, while a later owner, one Thomas Jones, has inserted his address, “51 Strand” in London. This book is from the collection of the John Martin Rare Book Room, Hardin Library for the Health Sciences.
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