Yerbas Poderosas

Holguin, Cuba: Cuadernos Papiro, 2018. Limited edition. Stiff card wraps. Fine. 4to. 12 leaves of handmade paper bound by hand in a thick handmade paper covers made from water hyacinth with a branch incorporated into the upper cover, and with ties made with dried stems and jute. The final leaf gives a biography of the artist. A fine copy.

Each page is made from a different plant: plantain, sunflower, basil, onion, sugarcane, corn, garlic, parsley, rosemary, and tobacco. Each page is also printed letterpress, identifying the plant with local and scientific names, associated deities, spiritual powers, and then a long description of its medicinal (truncated) properties and local uses. Some pages also feature collagraphs by José Emilio Leyva Azze. The text is printed on antique presses: a Merganthaler Linotype machine originally manufactured in 1900, an 1899 Gordon and Price press and others. A stunning production.

Accompanied by a ceritficate of authenticity indicating that this copy is no. 50 from a total production of 50 copies. In Spanish.
. (Inventory #: 23473)