- Text from the Introductory Panel -

Have you ever wondered what lead to the study of magic becoming a study of medicine? Or how medieval doctors came to understand botany as a path to cure ailments? Or even how our own herbal culture relates to that of the past? Utah State University Special Collections and Archives welcomes you to explore the world of botany, medicine, and magic through manuscripts in Roots: The Nature of Books. Be inspired by their remairkable beauty and intrigued by the capitvating content that can only be found in these rare books and facsimiles. Let us take you on a journey through the recorded history of plants, how we have used them and why they have captured our interest for thousands of years. Beginning with the science of observing our world through btonay, traveling through the medicinal healing practices of the past, and ultimately pondering our own growth reflected in the more modern use of plants, you are bound to be fascinated.

Curated by undergraduate students at Utah State University and drawing from thousands of years of herbal knowledge found within rare facsimiles and manuscripts from Utah State University Special Collections and Archives, and on loan from The University of Utah, this exhibit is sure to educated and intrigue. Find the answers to questions you never knew you had in the exhibit Roots: The Nature of Books.

Special thanks to staff at Merrill-Cazier Special Collections and Archives at Utah State University:

Devin Greener, Marketing and Preservation Assistant

Jennifer Duncan, Head of Special Collections and Book Curator

Mikkel Skinner, Graphic Designer

J. Willard Marriott Library Rare Books Collection at the University of Utah

Luise Poulton, Managing Curator