The first European distillation manual dates from 1500

The Liber de arte distillandi de simplicibus is the very first printed distillation manual in Europe. Written by the Alsatian apothecary Hieronymus Brunschwig, it was published in 1500 to guide his colleagues in the purification of medicinal substances. The work met with great success across the continent, becoming an authority throughout the 16th century after being translated into Dutch as early as 1517.