We cannot close this inadequate review of a notable volume without a word of praise for the admirable exhaustive bibliographies." -The Bookman, Volume 63, 1922
This book presents for the first time an up-to-date and easy-to-read translation of a medical reference work that was used in Western Europe from the fifth century well into the Renaissance.
Old English Herbals
This book traces all known knowledge of Old English Herbals back to their origins. The writing of this book on that fascinating and somewhat neglected branch of garden literature-the old English Herbals-has been a labour of love.
About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work.
The Old English Herbals
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.
Featured here is a modern translation of a medieval herbal, preceded by a study showing how this technical treatise on herbs was turned into a literary curiosity.
Collins shows how the principal herbal traditions of Classical descent were replaced by a new observation of nature that itself paved the way for the magnificent paintings of later French and Italian herbals.
In these works, cures for the “moon mad” and hysteria are interspersed with directives to drink sheep’s dung and jump across dead men’s graves.