This handbook is a carefully curated collection of botanical profiles from the Rare Book and Folio Collections of The New York Botanical Garden. Throughout the 175 pages you'll find 51 profiles of common and rare beneficial plants found in our world. Each contains a botanical drawing, tips for growing, usage and preparation, and recipes for including it in food, drink, tinctures or body care. Full of knowledge this book is both mentally and visually stimulating, a wonderful addition to any herbal enthusiast’s bookshelf.

The New York Botanical Gardens were established in 1891 and cover 250 acres of the Bronx in New York City. The landscape alone supports over one million living plants divided into gardens that emulate different ecosystems such as wetlands, alpine rock, and old growth forest. They also have many plant specific areas such as their rose, ornamental conifer, and native plant gardens.

One of the main attractions is the Haupt Conservatory, a beautifully designed greenhouse built in the Italian Renassaince style in 1890. Here you will find tropical paradises, dry deserts, and a collection of rare plants used for scientific research. 

The heart and soul of the garden grounds is held in the LuEsther T. Mertz Library. In 2014 the New York Botanical Gardens claimed they housed "550,000 physical volumes and 1,800 journal titles" making it one of the largest collections in the world.