Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Not only is this gorgeous books with excellent pictures of plants, it shows a deep insight into Brother Cadfael's herbarium and his respect for plants. I loved the excerpts from the many Brother Cadfael books. I would have liked to have seen a bit more on the layout of Brother Cadfael's garden and perhaps some recipes and potions. Still the authors produced a beautiful book at a reasonable price with the pages crammed with in-depth information on herbs.

This is most useful as a guide to Elis Peters' novels. The index of plants is oriented toward the fictional Cadfael and his uses, rather than to mediaval practice.

The pictures are coffee table book quality.

A must for gardeners who are Brother Cadfael fans, or Cadfael fans who are gardeners, but not a serious work.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I'm developing a medieval herb garden in my yard and found this book quite helpful. Beautiful photos and informative text. After a while, though, I got tired of the author's near-obsession with Cadfael - and I'm a Cadfael fan. Otherwise great book.

I believe that this book is much more of a picture book than anything else. Within the text, it describes Brother Cadfeal more than it does his gardens or how he planned them or used them. This book is nicely done but it is not worth the price if you are looking for a comprehensive reference for how to grow and use herbs. Please look somewhere else. There are many out there which hold better information.

Was there ever another like Brother Cadfael? This absolutely gorgeous book shows the Shrewsbury Quest medieval herb garden Cadfael worked in. Alas, the town of Shrewsbury couldn't pull together enough to preserve this lovely place and it's closed to the public now. But the book has not only the glowing photographs but also a great deal of information on monastic medieval gardens. Well worth your while if you are at all interested in medieval or monastic gardens or Cadfael or the Marches, or herbs of any kind. Highly recommended. This is my second copy -- now I have one to keep close (chained to my library, if I carry the medieval theme out) and the other to lend.

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