Herbs and the Earth: An Evocative Excursion into the Lore & Legend of Our Common Herbs

by Henry Beston

Lavender, basil, hyssop, balm, sage, rue — the thinking gardener’s guide to herbs.

Writer/naturalist Henry Beston, a founding father of the environmental movement, believed that a strong connection to nature is essential. “It is only when we are aware of the earth and of the earth as poetry that we truly live,” Beston says in his now-classic Herbs and the Earth . In this book, Beston shares one of those connections as seen through the oldest group of plants known to gardeners.

“A garden of herbs,” he writes, “is a garden of things loved for themselves in their wholeness and integrity. It is not a garden of flowers, but a garden of plants which are sometimes very lovely flowers and are always more than flowers.” Whether you are already a committed herbalist or just dreaming of planting your first small garden, this book is a powerfully rich source of inspiration and information. As Roger B. Swain observes in his moving introduction, Herbs and the Earth has an intensity that evokes the herbs themselves, as if, pressed between the pages, their aroma has seeped into the pages.

Genres: Nature, Gardening, Nonfiction, History, Herbs, Plants

168 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Henry Beston was an American writer and naturalist, best known as the author of The Outermost House, written in 1925.

Reviews

[Audrey Driscoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book about gardens and gardening that I read, long before I had a garden of my own. It's rather strange that a thirteen-year-old would have been charmed by this book, but so it was. Beston's gravity, his absolute seriousness (although not devoid of a quiet humour) convinced me that his words were valuable and the subject of herbs important. It's a slight book, only 117 pages, illustrated with simple woodcuts of the plants that Beston calls "ten great herbs." Quite apart from his descriptions of herbs, their histories and cultural needs, what I found most captivating about this book was Beston's descriptions of the gardening experience itself, from the perspective of his garden in Maine. Even at thirteen, I knew I wanted that experience, and now I have it.

[Janisse Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written in that old-fashioned, exalted style. I loved how much I learned from this little book about the magic of plants. It's really special.

[Misty]

"Ages and people which sever the earth from the poetic spirit, or do not care, or stop their ears with knowledge as with dust, find their veins grown hollow and their hearts an emptiness echoing to questioning. For the earth is ever more than the earth, more than the upper and the lower field, the tree and the hill. Here is mystery banded about the forehead with green ..."

"The hideous delight of the early twentieth century in masses and numbers was a touch of the insect mind, a thing tent caterpillars would have perfectly understood."

[Linda Rowlett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I took my time reading this little book (only 115 pages). I’m supposed to lead a discussion of it at the end of the month.

Frankly there is not much substance here. Benton provides lists of herbs with some commentary, but not much in the way of revelation. He is very didactic, which I found off-putting. For example, he states, “But let there not be too many herbs.” And he asserts that flowers (other than herb blooms) don’t belong in a herb garden. In his chapter Of Planting and Gardening, he offers little knowledge. He suggests there is no need to write about watering because “only garden judgment can tell a gardener when and how much to use.” He asserts that he does “not intend to go into this elementary side of garden-making” [making of borders and beds].

So what is there of value in the book? For me, the poetic language Benton used provided some pleasure in the reading. The last chapter, just a few pages long, was evocative and sufficiently poetic to redeem the book for me.

[sorel · Rating 5 out of 5]

ten stars. it should be the bible.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely prose poem from start to finish. Not really botany or gardening. Beston surpasses the best passages of The Outermost House with the lyrical ending of this book. One to dip into and then get intincted. (Is that a word? I think so)
I've read this several times. First found it, as so many of my favorites, in the catalogue The Common Reader.

[Tory · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very lyrical book about herbs in the garden. The author clearly loves his garden and the way things grow and it comes out in his book. in regards to learning more about herbs, it isn't quite as extensive as I was expecting but is a great overview of herbs that can be further studied later.

[Myra Flowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely old fashioned volume. I have read Mr. Beston's "Outermost House" and own his book from the Rivers of America series "St. Lawrence," which I intend to read. This book is not a manual or a how to book on herbs. It is just what the subtitle says: an evocative excursion into the lore and legend of our common herbs. The beautiful illustrations by John Benson really enhance the reading pleasure. This book in my category of reading while sitting under a shade tree on a lovely day books. His old timey way is wonderful although I wouldn't want this style in all my reading. Being from New England I can appreciate the writing and the illustrations even more. Here's a random sentence, " the green life of earth is a deeper life than we know, having it's roots in touch with the waters under the earth, with those rills flowing unseen out of ledges deep in the ground." (pg. 26.) Sweet and poetical writing, not new age just simply expressive language. Nice to read a plant book that is more than a manual although it does inspire me to dabble with a few more herbs

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was first published in 1935. That it is still available in print, with a brand new edition I picked up at the Library, is indicative of its quality.

If you read modern gardening books, you'll find the format confusing. Beston was a writer of some note and spent significant time on a rustic farm in Maine with his family. This isn't a how-to manual. It doesn't go through soil prep or siting your herb garden in the right place. It doesn't even go into depth about the history of herbs or offer up recipes. Instead, Beston focuses on the romance of herbs, exploring why the reader should be enchanted by these plants.

I think I would have liked this book better if I'd read it on a snowy night in front of the fire--the same conditions under which Beston wrote it. This book is more poetry than prose. It is to be appreciated rather than studied.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introductory reference book for gardeners as well as historians. Gives both insights into 10 main herbs families though not an extensive gardeners or historians reference it is a good introduction to the subject. Author gives personal gardening experience, historical background, and fact based info.

[Carole · Rating 1 out of 5]

A lovely poetic book about herbs. However, it was written in 1935 and seems quite dated. It has very limited information of value to anyone who already grows herbs and has read other gardening books about herbs.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully crafted work with language that evokes an earlier era and gentler pace that follows the seasons in his herb borders and beds. A delightful read.

[Pants · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a beautiful and lyrical book. I actually bought a hard cover edition at Powell's and I'm quite glad I did! I find the drawings endearing and the subject matter equally heartening. I think I'd recommend it to any friend.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beston's herb garden sends out deep roots and all embracing shoots. He hymns to the morning light and the colors of green and celebrates the intertwined lives of humans plants in deep time.

[Ariellah Aflalo]

simply delicious book. it inspired me to mix much more herbs into my backyard garden! his love of herbs comes through in his writing and he will make you fall in love as well!

[Godine Publisher & Black Sparrow Press · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the few writers who can match his prose to the mood of nature. —The New York Times