My treasured object is a copy of Culpeper’s Complete Herbal – a 17th-century compendium of herbs and plants for medical purposes. It has ink stains, and ‘N Crosland 228’ (my school number) written in pencil inside.
The book belonged to my grandfather, an eminent cardiothoracic surgeon who performed the first hole-in-the-heart operation and worked on the invention of pacemakers. I adored him; he was a wonderful, gentle man. He died when I was 15.
My grandfather had a big library and one day, when I was about 10, I spotted this book with a red spine. I climbed up the ladder, got it down and saw these illustrations. I am short-sighted, and if you’re myopic it magnifies things when you look at them. I could see all the veins on the leaves and the bristles on the stems. I was mesmerised.
The plants had evocative names like toadflax and dragon-wort, and each one’s description – where it grew, when it flowered, the planet it was governed by – seemed wizardy to me!
After I confessed I’d got the book down, my grandfather gave it to me and I started copying the illustrations. I used a rOtring Isograph Technical Drawing Pen, with various nibs, that I’d been given.
I’ve had this book for about 50 years. It’s battered, but in quite good nick. I’ve just done a block-print wallpaper called ‘Culpeper’ and a hand embroidery with the same name, plus a set of artworks – I sold quite a few through the Artist Support Pledge scheme during the pandemic. So, you see, the book’s influence is still with me. neishacrosland.com
