Johann Coler: Oeconomia ruralis et domestica

Johann Coler’s 'Oeconomia ruralis et domestica' is a wide-ranging seventeenth century guide to managing a productive household, covering farming, gardening, cookery, animal care, medicine, distilling, and even cryptography and dream interpretation. Its opening section includes calendar and almanac engravings that explain the seasons, lunar changes, and annual tasks, reflecting contemporary beliefs about the natural order and the timing of rural work. The RHS Lindley Library holds a substantial 1645 to 1651 Mainz edition, richly illustrated with engraved and woodcut images. Bound in pigskin, it preserves both parts of the work and offers a detailed insight into early modern domestic and agricultural practice.