The long history of medical herbals—written descriptions of plants and their healing properties— is a history of revolution. An illustrated herbal, or “book of simples,” is not only an index of plant cures; it represents a world view, uniting scientific observation with an appreciation of nature’s beauty. As they developed from the Middle Ages to the present day, medical herbals reveal an evolving understanding of the human body, of nature, and how we organize knowledge and see our place in the world. They intertwine art, botany, human physiology, and spirituality. Herbal-derived medicines—

Artists’ books are a creative medium in which the conventional materials and approaches of book production—for instance paper and ink, graphically compelling combinations of illustration and text, and structures that invite exploration—are deployed and sometimes subverted to create tangible, interactive, surprising works of art. Some of the featured works in Unfolding Events: Exploring Past and Present in Artists’ Books invite viewers to imagine the voices of people and communities about whom little or no documentation survives; others share unique personal responses to the world we live in