Archives Alive Virtual Event – The Earthly Paradise: Recent Botanical Acquisitions at McMaster University Library

The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries saw a dizzying proliferation of new European books on botany. Driven by interrelated sociopolitical, aesthetic, intellectual, and technological developments, the era was a golden age for sumptuous and lavishly illustrated tomes addressing every conceivable plant-related subject — pharmacology, taxonomy, horticulture, and sylviculture among them. In a heady environment rife with innovation, political and religious controversy, and outright plagiarism, creators and collectors collaborated and competed to take the study and appreciation of plants to new heights — and new audiences.

In recent years, McMaster University Library has acquired several significant works in this tradition, including early editions of Gerard’s Herball, John Parkinson’s Theatrum Botanicum and Paradisi in Sole, Ulisse Aldrovandi’s Natural History, Castore Durante’s Herbario Nuovo, John Evelyn’s Sylva, and a scarce English translation of the Amsterdam Pharmacopoeia. Join Myron Groover, McMaster’s Archives and Rare Books Librarian, for an intimate look at these stunning artefacts and the contexts in which they were created.

Join Myron Groover, McMaster’s Archives and Rare Books Librarian, for an intimate look at these stunning artefacts and the contexts in which they were created.

This lecture is hosted by McMaster University Library’s Archives Alive program in partnership with McMaster University Alumni.

Register here

Presenter bio:
Myron Groover is McMaster University’s Archives and Rare Books Librarian. He read History at the University of Aberdeen and Library-Archival Studies at the University of British Columbia. His work focuses on collection development, curation, and teaching with archives and rare books. His academic interests include book history, the material culture of text, and the history of ideas.