Li Shi-Zen was a sixteenth century Chinese herbalist, physician, and botanist. His Compendium is generally acknowledged as a magnificent contribution both as a regeneration of the ancient Chinese materia medica and as the embodiment of Li’s lifework.

The Compendium is a typical example of Chinese pouch-bindings reinforced by four-hole stitching and covered with a wrap-around case. The individual sections are separately bound. Note the titles of the distinct parts on the bottom edge of the volumes.

SHI-ZEN LI (1516-1593). THE COMPENDIUM OF MATERIA MEDICA. 1885.
(Missouri Botanical Garden)