The Complete Language of Herbs is a book of traditional meanings and uses of herbs and herbaceous plants in the traditional
manner of the Victorians. It's a companion volume to S. Theresa Dietz's other encyclopedia with the same theme about flowers. Due out 2nd Aug 2022 from Quarto on their Wellfleet imprint, it's 256 pages and will be available in paperback format.
The book has a retro botanical print vibe and the introduction leads
directly into a very short 'how to use this book'. The bulk of the book
contains an alphabetical listing of the flowers and plants. Each listing
contains a color illustration followed by some of the common names for
each plant listed, symbolic meaning(s), possible powers, and folklore
and facts. The listings are compact and there are 4-6 listings per page.
The book includes a nice bibliography and index. The index
includes the plants listed with common names alphabetically; the've also
included an abbreviated bibliography for further research.
This is an appealing and very pretty book for a somewhat niche audience. It's more useful for readers who are interested in the folklore and historical uses of the plants contained in the listings rather than readers looking for practical culture and modern herbal uses.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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