Claire Kowalchik

This is the book that made me want to be a runner. I tried several times in the years since I read it, but this time it actually seems to be working. I'm following the beginner's program in this book and am up to running for nine minutes straight. I think the problem was me, not the program; I was too driven and pushed too hard.

In terms of sheer overwhelming "This is why you should run! Because it's awesome, that's why!" this is The Book on Running.

Informative and entertaining, this encyclopedia has already helped me improve my black thumb to more of a yellowish hue. Practical information such as ideal planting times and soil conditions fill sidebars, while the main pages are devoted to beautiful (and useful) illustrations and explanations of the history/uses/growing conditions of each herb. So far its information helped me save some flagging basil and lavender plants, and grow dill and sage from seed.

This is an older and I think out of print book, but it has some useful features I don't have in any other herb references. There's a large section about using herbs to dye fibers. Another section shows layouts for ideal gardens. The herb monographs are pretty standard, but they do have common preparations listed for each which is helpful.

Excellent resource, covers so many different herbs from so many angles. This will probably be my main reference because its the best I've read so far and covers everything I could possibly need to know.