RAIN December 1979 Profiles of Northwest Plants, Peggy Robinson, 1979 174 pp., $5.95 from: Far West Book Service 3513 NE Hassalo Portland, OR 97232 Peggy Robinson's book offers just what the title suggests: profiles on 90 of the most-found plants in the Northwest parks and backyards, intended to be an introduction to each plant and summary of how it has been historically used. Not offering extensive insights into medicinal uses, nor best used as an identification guide, this book's strongest element is its legends associated with each plant. Knowing the plant already, if someone says on your next walk, "Oh, I wonder what that pretty little plant is?", you can tell them the name and throw in the perfect plant anecdote concerning charms, prophesies, its association with fairies and witches, as well as historical significance. Learning something about the plants growing around us can help bridge the gap between the natural world and the artificial environment that tends to creep up on us. Profiles of Northwest Plants is a gem. Health Secrets of Plants and Herbs, Maurice Messegue, 1979, 336 pp., $9.95, $17.95 hardcover, from: William Morrow and Company, Inc. 105 Madison Ave. New York, NY 10016 If I were to write a clear, concise, functional reference book about medicinal herbs and plants, I would model it after Health Secrets of Plants and Herbs. In no uncertain terms this is a great book. The 68 line drawings and 32 color plates show each plant's flower, leaf, stem, fruit, and root structure, making it exceptional for identification purposes. The entries introduce medicinal herbs, their preparation and uses, in a personal way, adequately defining medicinal terms. The whole medicinal quality of an herb can depend on when it is gathered. A special section is designated to this vital aspect so many herb books fail to mention. Messegue is an herbalist in every sense of the word. Even though he passes over many of the standards like comfrey and lobelia, he includes other plants close to home: apple, asparagus, oak and more. And when he makes reference to an application his Aunt Sophie used to use-you can't help but believe in his credibility! Plantcraft: A Guide to Everyday Use of Wild Plants, Richard Maybe, 1978 174 pp., $5.95 from: Universe Books 381 Park Ave. South New York, NY 10016 What a wonderful book to exercise your imagination, your sense of ingenuity and thrift! Here is an exploration of the virtue of Wortcunning-the understanding of how to use plants. Richard Maybe has revived what was once a natural and essential domestic skill by describing common wild plants of Europe and North America, and how they can be put to fruitful and enjoyable household use. His guide offers MISTLETOE Viscum a/burn L. [Loranthaceael 2270 NW Irving, Portland, OR 97210 RAIN suggestions on how to press, carve, bunch, stuff, whittle and weave such plants into service as brambles into twine, birch into brooms, walnut oil into furniture polish, reeds into baskets, poppy petals into ink, and teasel into a hairbrush. With only an estimated 4 percent of some 300,000 plant species having been investigated for useful purpose, one can see how Plantcraft inspires the imagination with its entries. Plants are models for self-sufficiency. Nature is of necessity efficient in its use and recycling of raw material. This thoughtfully written book suggests you do the same! -Nandie Szabo "' .c "" Q,j ::r:: "0 C o:I ti C .s 0- <+; 0 "' ... Q,j "" u Q,j 00 .c ... -; Q,j ::r:: s 0 J;;
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