Brother Cadfael's Herb Garden An Illustrated Companion to Medieval Plants and their Uses

by Robin Whiteman and Rob Talbot

Book Overview

Brother Cadfael, the much-loved medieval sleuth created by Ellis Peters, is depicted in the Chronicles as an enthusiastic gardener and herbalist, often excusing himself from his daily offices to tend the abbey gardens or work in his herbarium. He is also renowned for his great knowledge of plants, especially the exotic varieties he bought back to England from his travels throughout the Christian and Muslim worlds to raise and perfect in his own garden...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316882240
• ISBN13: 9780316882248
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: Boston & London: Little, Brown & Company, 1996.
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 2.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 0.1" x 0.1"

Customer Reviews

Author of medieval romances

This book is wonderful. Very colorful, easy to research and even gives the uses for the different herbs, etc., with how they were prepared.

A Treasure of Medieval Herb Lore

Brother Cadfael's Herb Garden: An Illustrated Companion to Medieval Plants and Their Uses Don't be put off by negative reviews; in addition to being a gorgeous picture book, this volume is also a treasure trove of useful information on the medicinal and culinary uses of herbs. A wonderful introduction gives a history of herbs and gardens of the twelfth century, then the chapters go into detail about monastic gardens, Brother Cadfael's herbal kingdom and the superb A to Z index of the known herbs of the period. Interspersed with the text are gorgeous photos of Wales, herbs, methods of storing them and much more. Also in sidebars we get a glimpse of related herbal lore straight from the pages of Ellis Peters' wonderful Cadfael Chronicles. What could be more wonderful for the Medievalist or Cadfael afficionado? Highly recommended.

Delightful

This book is a joy-containing not only the facts about the Medieval herbs and plants-but also charming references to the amazing character of Cadfael. Don't be put off by negative comments-this book's a gem.

It is a wonderful and informitive book on herbs.

This book was very informitive on the uses of herbs for medicines in the Middle Ages. I happen to be a fan of Cadfael and thought the pictures were wonderful. I had been doing a project on medical herbs in the Middle Ages and it was my best resource.

Well-researched, beautiful book - a real find!

Both the content and production values of this book are outstanding. Well written, with an excellent listing of ancient and medieval primary sources on gardening and herbalism in addition to very informative discussions on selected herbs. It's nice to find a gorgeous book (photography, typesetting, layout) with text that matches its physical beauty. As a longtime fan of the Brother Cadfael series I enjoyed the author's insights into it, but I think even those with little familiarity with the series will appreciate this publication.