Book excerpt: This lavish book highlights a selection of the wonderful illustrations held in the archive of The Florilegium Society at Sheffield Botanical Gardens. Each illustration included in the book is accompanied by a plant profile, stating where the plant was found in the wild and explaining something of its history, uses and botany. The book also gives an introduction to florilegia dating from the early herbals, and a history of the Society's Herbarium and the Gardens themselves. Featuring over 100 colour illustrations and 67 plant profiles, it is a book for everyone to enjoy, whatever the season. The Botanical Gardens are in the heart of the City of Sheffield and are a much-loved venue enjoyed both by the people of Sheffield and visitors to the City. This book has been written by the Society's founding chair Valerie Oxley. Valerie developed the diploma in Botanical Illustration with colleagues at the University of Sheffield.