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

McDowell and Tyson's new volume is that rarest of things: a scholarly facsimile that's also a thing of great beauty. Magnificent and long-overdue, it will surely become an essential reference for scholars of Blackwell, and anyone interested in 18th century botany.--Will Beharrell, Librarian of the Linnean Society of London

Publisher: Abbeville Press

Pub date: 2024-04-09

Length: 288 pages