What’s your poison?
What do a book of gas station photographs and a field guide for identifying poisonous plants have in common? Each one inspired an artist’s book that centers plants in the design, materials, or narrative!
What makes a book an artist’s book? At its most basic, an artist’s book is a work of art that looks to the form of the book for inspiration. Artists’ books might maintain the standard book structure – called a codex – or reimagine it entirely, taking the shape of puzzles, scrolls, blocks, and even full tableaus, among many other variations. The Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections features an extensive collection of artists’ books, of which only a small selection are shown here.