An Oak Spring Herbaria is the long awaited fourth volume in the series of catalogs describing the great illustrated plant books conserved at Rachel Lambert Mellon's Oak Spring Garden Library in Upperville, Virginia. Devoted to herbs and herbals, this installment is just as magnificent and authoritative as its predecessors, with an introduction exploring the early history of the herbal and chapters devoted to late medieval herbals, "strange" herbals, dried specimens, nature printing, and American herbals. An Oak Spring Herbaria will be of interest to botanists, garden historians, bibliophiles, and herbalists and is a must-have for anyone addicted to books of beautiful botanical art.
Lucia Tongiorgi Tomasi is the Distinguished Delegate to the Chancellor of Culture and Honorary President of the Museum of Graphic Arts at the University of Pisa. Tony Willis is the head librarian at the Oak Spring Garden Library.