Healing Plants: From Elizabeth Blackwell's "Curious Herbal"

(Hardback)

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A miniature treasury of medicinal plants, drawn from the work of a pioneering woman artist. This miniature book contains a veritable garden of healing plants, specially chosen from Elizabeth Blackwell's Curious Herbal (173739). A talented artist, Blackwell published her herbal as a means of financial support after her husband landed in debtor's prison-and it quickly became a prized reference for doctors and apothecaries. Each of the 140 exquisite hand-colored engravings featured herein-from elderberry and chamomile to aloe and St. John's wort-is accompanied by Blackwell's description of its medicinal properties. The plants have been selected by the renowned garden writer Marta McDowell, who also contributes an introduction about Elizabeth Blackwell and the herbal medicine of her time. Healing Plants is the perfect little gift for anyone interested in herbalism, botany, or gardening. AUTHOR: Marta McDowell is a gardener, lecturer, and horticultural writer. Her books include All the Presidents' Gardens (2016) and Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life (2013), winner of the Gold Award from the Garden Writers Association. SELLING POINTS: . A delightful miniature gift for herbalists, gardeners, and admirers of botanical illustration . Includes 137 beautiful engravings of medicinal plants from Elizabeth Blackwell's Curious Herbal (originally published 1737-39), along with Blackwell's descriptions of their medicinal properties . Introduction by renowned garden writer Marta McDowell, about A Curious Herbal and the history of herbal medicine

Reviews

A woman of courage, ingenuity, determination and curiosity, Elizabeth Blackwell has an extraordinary story that deserves to be retold. Excellent scholarship by Janet Stiles Tyson and her discovery of a previously unrecorded manuscript written by Blackwell, unveil new information about Blackwell's rogue husband and family lineage.

In Georgian-era London, it was nearly impossible for a woman to make her mark, yet the talented Mrs. Blackwell garnered the support of many men in learned society and created a practical and carefully illustrated pharmacopeia. Marta McDowell's essay provides historical context and firmly places Blackwell's Curious Herbal in the pantheon of great herbals.

This gorgeous book has the heft of an ancient herbal. It is a treasure for anyone interested in the healing properties of plants. Blackwell's precise depictions... are beautifully reproduced. It is a joy to turn every page.

--Susan Fraser, Director Emerita of the LuEsther T. Mertz Library, New York Botanical Garden
As a wife and mother excluded from the male institutions of eighteenth-century British botany and medicine, Elizabeth Blackwell created her Curious Herbal against tremendous odds. In this new edition, Blackwell's gorgeous plates bloom afresh, while two engaging essays--by Marta McDowell and Janet Stiles Tyson--vividly capture the life and times of this brave, talented woman. Almost three centuries on, this stunning volume does justice to Blackwell's great achievement in medical botany.--Victoria Johnson, National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize finalist for American Eden: David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic
That Elizabeth Blackwell's A Curious Herbal has been reprinted in full gives credit to its longevity as a text and set of illustrations that have stood the test of time, and remain relevant and worthy of recognition to this day.

The [text], so carefully researched, for the first time provides what feels to be a factual and fascinating insight into Blackwell's life and the depth of her endeavor, in a world dominated by men, whilst dispelling some of the myths and misinformation that surrounded her.

--Sue Medway, Director and Curator of the Chelsea Physic Garden, London

Author Bio

Marta McDowell is a gardener, lecturer, and horticultural writer. Her books include A Curious Herbal: Elizabeth Blackwell's Pioneering Masterpiece of Botanical Art (Abbeville), Gardening Can Be Murder: How Poisonous Poppies, Sinister Shovels, and Grim Gardens Have Inspired Mystery Writers, and Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life, winner of the Gold Award from the Garden Writers Association.