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The Complete Book of Herbs--A Practical Guide to Growing & Using Herbs by Lesley Bremness (Viking Studio Books: $24.95, hardcover, 288 pp., illustrated)

Although this book includes more than 80 recipes, it’s really a comprehensive guide to growing and using herbs rather than a cookbook. In the introduction, Bremness covers the history and evolution of herbs, including a point in the 17th Century when botany and medicine went their separate ways.

“The object of this book is again to combine traditional with scientific knowledge and present the many innovative ways in which herbs can be used to enhance life in the home and at work,” writes the author. To make her point, Bremness begins by providing information on planning different types and sizes of gardens.

An illustrated index of more than 100 herbs not only assists with identification, but shows different varieties of the same plant and helps the gardener select what they want to plant. The final section of this book addresses herb usage--in the household, cooking, cosmetics and decorations--and cultivating and harvesting the plants.

Information on harvesting, preserving and storing herbs is also provided. Add to all of this the 250 illustrations, and this book is attractive enough to qualify for a coffee-table collection.