Amongst a group of books recently donated by Melvin Lash to the Archives of the Center for Jewish Culture was a small jewel – a souvenir book of pressed flowers from the Holy Land “accumulated from the most important and sacred localities in the holy land, with topographical, historical & statistical notes from the most accurate and latest statements in Hebrew and English”/Jerusalem. Inside are thirteen plates with actual pressed flowers in artful arrangements, along with a description of the location of the origin of the flowers. Although undated, it was probably made and/or purchased between 1914 and 1920, after comparing it with similar examples. The wooden covers may be made of olive wood. There is a detailed inlay work design on the cover, surrounding a stamped “Jerusalem.” This little book is a very nice example of one type of souvenir collected by tourists who made the pilgrimage to Palestine in the early part of the 20th century. Or it may have been collected by a soldier serving overseas during World War I. Plates include Mount Tabor, Mount Carmel, The Tomb of Rachel, The Jordan River, the Fountain of Shiloah, Hebron, and Mount Zion.
