Gerard's Herball by John Gerard

Description

The Herball, or Generall Historie of Plantes is a book by John Gerard, first published in 1597. Written by a practising surgeon and gardener, this expansive Elizabethan herbal assembles practical descriptions of more than a thousand plants, pairing common and Latin names with guidance on where the plants grow, how to cultivate them, and the traditional “vertues” — medicinal and culinary uses — attributed to each species. The work is notable for its rich woodcut illustrations and for bringing continental herbal knowledge into English garden practice. Part practical manual, part encyclopaedia and part folklore, Gerard’s Herball sits at the crossroads between medieval herbal tradition and the emerging botanical science of the early modern period. Readers will find a lively mixture of hands-on cultivation tips, remedies and vernacular lore alongside careful observational notes from Gerard’s own London garden. Its influence stretches beyond gardening: the Herball informed medical, horticultural and literary readers for centuries, and it remains a valuable historical resource for anyone interested in medicinal plants, historical gardening, or the development of botanical reference works.

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