The old English herbals

by Eleanour Sinclair Rohde

This is a facsimile reprint of the original book by Eleanour Sinclair Rohde, rebuilt using the latest technology. There are no poor, missing or blurred pages and all photographic images have been professionally restored. At Yokai Publishing we believe that by restoring this title to print it will live on for generations to come.

Genres: Nonfiction, Gardening, Reference, History, Herbs

243 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

Reviews

[Murphy C · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting relic of literary and mythological reference from early in the last century. I liked the first chapter about Iron Age folk medicine.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

So rich and textured it took almost 2 years to read it; I'd read and re-read the same chapter with joy, sitting over each word like it was a cup of tea and letting the mind wander down just a few of the paths they opened up. If you're interested in the old English language and worldview behind Tolkien's mythopoeia, the first 50 pages of this book are dense enough to fill a lifetime of study. The kennings render one speechless with their beauty. I would have loved to see this book in the hands of Owen Barfield and see how he weaved the interaction between language and environment into the evolving consciousness of the English people.

Oh, and the information on plants is helpful too.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

The bible for herbal collectors (and me). I wish I'd lived at the same time as Ms Rohde, because I have nearly all of her books, and we seem to love exactly the same areas of gardening!
This book is a one of the first historical studies of herbal books, from the medieval period until the eighteenth century.
I use it as a resource often, and the list at the end of herbals in order of printing is my all-time wants list which I tick off whenever I get another one! Admittedly slightly of its time, so no Chinese, Aztec or other non-European material, but still...

[Michelle king · Rating 2 out of 5]

History

This book is not what I thought; more history than application...May suit if READING olde English is your forte'! ...enjoy!

[Deb Omnivorous Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a start I need to mention that the book I read was, Minerva 1974, ISBN 856360031, not the goodreads one with the above cover. The one I read does not appear to exist online.

The preface to this book begins ‘...that fascinating and.. neglected branch of garden literature – the old English Herbals. And it is quite fascinating but it was written in 1922 and has a LOT of quotes from much, much older sources, complete with spelling. This means that while quite charming to read, it is not at all easy to read. It does contain a lot of very good information both about herbs, about what people thought and believed about herbs and about how they wrote about them.
The chapters are arraigned intelligently, with the first chapter dedicated to the Anglo-Saxon Herbals . Successive chapters discuss (among other things), early printed herbals, later manuscripts, individuals of significance such as Turner, English, foreign, and New World. All of it interspersed with large tracts of quotes.
Not easy to read, but a great source of information, especially for spelling and manners of writing Herbals.

[Anie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't what I was expecting - it's essentially a book length review/tour of the old English herbals - but it's a great resource for a person who wants an overview, and especially a person who wants a bibliography.

I'd like to find a few more of Rohde's books after this; I really enjoyed her voice.