A beautifully illustrated and lovingly researched exploration of herbs and spices: their history, cultivation and uses, both familiar and forgotten. The comprehensive modern herbal lists nearly 300 plants and is complemented by delicate botanical watercolours. Instructions on growing and harvesting herbs, whether in a garden or a window box, are supplemented with practical applications: herbs in cooking, natural cosmetics, herbal remedies and other household uses - dyes, soaps, potpourris and pomanders. The book is illustrated throughout with more than 300 specially commissioned colour photographs and step-by-step diagrams. Sarah Garland's original approach and intimate familiarity with the plants she describes make The Complete Book of Herbs & Spices a book to be used, enjoyed and treasured.

About the Author

Sarah Garland first became interested in herbs and their uses during her childhood in the New Forest and in recent years has concentrated on growing and using a very wide variety of herbs in her kitchen, and to treat minor ailments. She is the author of Wild Flowers of Britain and The Herb Garden (also published by Frances Lincoln).

Reviews

Books with the word ``complete'' in the title don't always meet expectations, but this reissue of a modern herbal ( LJ 12/1/79) does not disappoint. Following an introductory chapter on the history and traditions of herbs, Garland describes over 300 herbs and spices. Each plant is illustrated with detailed watercolor drawings, and information on its culture, preparation, and various uses is provided. There are some minor revisions of text and illustrations, but the bibliography has not been updated. Many fine herb books have been published since this book first appeared. Of particular note is the eminently practical Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs ( LJ 11/15/87) and Emelie Tolley and Chris Mead's beautiful Herbs: Gardens, Decorations and Recipes (Clarkson Potter: Crown, 1985). If Garland's book is not already on the shelf, it also deserves a place. For most gardening collections.-- Virginia A. Henrichs, Chicago Botanic Garden Lib., Glencoe, Ill.

"'Outstanding both in its appearance and the detail of its text.' The Daily Telegraph"

If you've sometimes wondered what yarrow, et al., is good for, this book can tell you: it is ``a wound herb, astringent and healing, and rich in vitamins and minerals.'' Moreover, it may even ``increase the health of nearby plants.'' Entries in this herbal resource also offer directions to would-be growers, the various amusing common names of the assembled plants (for coriander, ``dizzycorn,'' for cassia, ``bastard cinnamon'') and historical asides: the Incas, for example, worshipped the sunflower. In addition, there are recipes--for soap, bath oil, herbal dyes, pomanders, and edible contrivances: toffee, salad, green mayonnaise and more. Nicely designed but not remarkable, the volume is illustrated with a range of graphics, from medieval woodcuts to the glow of contemporary color photography. (Sept.)