Brother Cadfael's Herb Garden An Illustrated Companion to Medieval Plants and their Uses [Hardcover]

Rob Talbot (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 14, 1996

Brother Cadfael, the much-loved medieval sleuth created by Ellis Peters, is depicted in the "Chronicles" as an enthusiastic gardener and herbalist, often excusing himself from his daily offices to tend the abbey gardens or work in his herbarium. He is also renowned for his great knowledge of plants, especially the exotic varieties he bought back to England from his travels throughout the Christian and Muslim worlds to raise and perfect in his own garden in Shrewsbury. This book recreates Brother Cadfael's herbal kingdom. It details in alphabetical order all the plants and herbs mentioned in the "Chronicles", and offers descriptions of their traditional uses in medieval times.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Little Brown Company (November 14, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316882240
• ISBN-13: 978-0316882248
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 8.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,455,417 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Medieval Plants and Brother Cadfael, August 16, 2000

By 

Jane Eppinga (Tucson, Arizona USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brother Cadfael's Herb Garden: An Illustrated Companion to Medieval Plants and Their Uses (Hardcover)

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.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Cadfael's pictures, April 3, 2002

By 

Z. P. Smith (Western Washington) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brother Cadfael's Herb Garden: An Illustrated Companion to Medieval Plants and Their Uses (Hardcover)

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.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It is a wonderful and informitive book on herbs., March 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Brother Cadfael's Herb Garden: An Illustrated Companion to Medieval Plants and Their Uses (Hardcover)

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.