The Herb Book: The Stories, Science, and History of Herbs

by D.K. Publishing

Immerse yourself in stories and pictures of these useful plants, from herb gardens to remote wildernesses. 

Herbs have been used by humans throughout history – for cooking, medicine, rituals, and more. They are also a huge part of the modern world, from gardening, food, and cosmetics to medicines fighting diseases such as malaria. With vibrant illustrations and expert knowledge, The Herb Book takes a close-up look at a wide range of herbs from around the world, showcasing their botanical characteristics, medicinal, cosmetic, and culinary properties and uses, and cultural impact on the lives of humans. 

Dive deep into the pages of this horticultural handbook to  

- Detailed original photography combines with historical and contemporary images to create a compelling visual mix.
- Provides a global view of herbs and their culinary, medicinal, and cosmetic uses around the world.
- Contains in-depth coverage of over 80 herb species.
- Continues the warm visual aesthetic of The Tree Book

Featuring key scientific facts along with historical and mythological stories, this book provides a rich blend of information on these extraordinary plants and their role in our world. Proving a must-have volume for gardeners, horticulturalists, and amateur herbalists alike, as well as anyone interested in natural remedies, cooks and foodies too!

Genres: Reference, Nature, Food, Science, Gardening

304 pages, Hardcover

Published May 9, 2023

About the author

Dorling Kindersley (DK) is a British multinational publishing company specializing in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 62 languages. It is part of Penguin Random House, a consumer publishing company jointly owned by Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA and Pearson PLC. Bertelsmann owns 53% of the company and Pearson owns 47%.

Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including Eyewitness Travel Guides), arts and crafts, business, history, cooking, gaming, gardening, health and fitness, natural history, parenting, science and reference. They also publish books for children, toddlers and babies, covering such topics as history, the human body, animals and activities, as well as licensed properties such as LEGO, Disney and DeLiSo, licensor of the toy Sophie la Girafe. DK has offices in New York, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto and Melbourne.

Source: Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Cedricsmom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book. The cover is green with gold highlights to show a garden of plants. Inside, close to 100 herbs are presented in full color drawings and photographs with uses, properties, brief history and more. The book’s layout is irresistible; I had to bring it home to possess it even if only for a short time. Herbal heavy hitters like lavender, garlic, peppermint, and opium have larger page counts. I highly recommend this book for herbalists, gardeners, and plant lovers of all stripes. There’s plenty to see and learn here.

[Lilly Fountain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting 🤔
It had evolution though 👎

[Valeria Avramenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just the coolest book! Beautiful illustrations, consistent structure and easy to navigate encyclopaedia-like format. Inspires you to read up more and research things – plants, spices, herbs all around you, wakes up your curiosity. I would love more illustrations of how plants look in the wild to be able to recognise them when walking around, but still greatly enjoyed this read.

[Nora · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. The religious stories of herbs and the art works related to herbs do not appeal to me. I’d rather the book talks more about the herbs themselves. But the book is still good for those who want to learn about herbs and their cultural and historical backgrounds.