There is a certain pathos attached to the fragments from any great wreck, and in studying the few Saxon manuscripts, treating of herbs, which have survived to our day, we find their primary fascination not so much in their beauty and interest as in the visions they conjure up of those still older manuscripts which perished during the terrible Danish invasions. That books on herbs were studied in England as early as the eighth century is certain, for we know that Boniface, "the Apostle of t...

Even though nowadays roses are cultivated mostly for their beauty, previous ages have not been so singularly narrow-minded. Even at the turn of the century many people in appreciation of the fragrance, sweet flavor, and medicinal virtues of rose petals, hips, and leaves, still took pleasure in age-old traditional ways of making perfumes, sweet waters, jams, jellies, salads, sauces, and various kinds of confections with roses. They also knew how to crystallize the petals, to preserve the bu...

“The Story of the Garden” provides a detailed history of the garden, exploring its origins and development throughout the ages. Contents include: “The Traditional Influence of Ancient Garden Lore”, “The Mediaeval Garden”, “The Tudor Age”, “Stuart Times”, “French and Dutch Influences”, “The Georgian Period”, “The Landscape School and the Victorian and Edwardian Eras”, “American Gardens”, “List of Plants from 'The Feate of Gardening, by Mayster Ion Gardener”, etc. Many vintage books such as ...

Originally published in 1936, by the celebrated writer Eleanour Sinclair Rohde, this book treats the subject of herbs, 'chiefly with a view to the making of a herb garden and the use of herbs for decorative effect in th flower garden'. This book covers the uses and the cultivation of herbs in exhaustive detail and is still of great practical use today. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. He...