The Concise Herbal Encyclopedia

The Concise Herbal Encyclopedia (1975)
by Donald Law
Published by John Bartholomew
ISBN: 0851529054
Condition: Good (i.e. it’s seen some action but hasn’t crumbled to compost)
Ex-Croydon Libraries copy
Sold by Crappy Old Books™

Ah, the mid-1970s: when flared trousers brushed against allotment soil and everyone fancied themselves a budding herbalist after one too many cups of nettle tea. Into this green-fingered fever strode Donald Law with The Concise Herbal Encyclopedia — a compact volume promising to explain everything from aniseed to yarrow in neat alphabetical order. “Concise” here doesn’t mean it skimps on lore; it just means Donald knew better than to waste pages on colour photography when a brisk paragraph and the occasional line drawing would do.

Within these ex-Croydon Libraries pages (yes, complete with the faint whiff of disinfectant and the ghosts of overdue fines) you’ll encounter:

• Serious discussions of herbs that double as accidental cocktail recipes.

• Remedies your grandmother swore by, your GP will frown at, and your cat might knock off the windowsill.

• Latin names galore — because every plant deserves to be addressed as if it’s sitting its O-levels.

• The subtle joy of discovering whether “wort” at the end of a name means “miracle cure” or “likely to taste of socks.”

This copy is in Good condition: the cover may show a little shelf-wear, but it still holds together sturdily, much like the Croydon library system of the 1970s. Inside, there are no alarming surprises — unless you count Donald’s enthusiasm for dandelions, which borders on the evangelical.

Perfect for:

• Aspiring apothecaries who want to impress friends by casually dropping the phrase Artemisia absinthium.

• Nostalgic readers who miss the smell of libraries before they turned into co-working spaces.

• Anyone who likes their wellness advice delivered with the breezy certainty of the 1970s.

Crappy Old Books™: rescuing ex-library herbals so you too can discover that parsley is more than garnish.

Keep browsing: See more Self-Help books Other books by Donald Law