The Herbalist

This is an old book published by a man who had his own herbalist shop over a hundred years ago. It is full of beautiful artwork and interesting information about plants most people today think of only as weeds to be extinguished. This book is quite the fascinating piece of history that can even prove useful for those hoping to learn more about the potential uses of common plants.

I found this small book, first published over a hundred years ago, at my local library. The vintage writing and images are interesting from a historical perspective. It gives you a glimpse into how people once used plants, how familiar they were with many kinds we might routinely think of as "weeds", and maybe how inadequate information was then. I wouldn't rely on this book as a sole reference for any plant I was actually planning to use. Its value is in how it documents our relationship with plant life over time and how this information was presented,sometimes very colloquially, by an educated botanist.

I love this book. So much information in a little book. I like the old tried and true info.