Page in bloom
A herbary is a book on plants. I always thought that such books contained drawings or paintings of plants. Until I came across this object on the website of the Bodleian Library in Oxford. Constructed around 1595, it is likely the oldest of its kind from England. The book is filled with about 300 real plants, which were gathered in Italy by a monk called Gregorio Reggio. Short descriptions accompany the specimens, which look like they were picked yesterday. Every page forever in bloom.
Pic: Bodleian Library. More on herbaries with real plants here.