Herbalist to King Charles I, John Parkinson (1567–1650) was a master apothecary, herbalist and gardener. Famous in his own lifetime for his influential books, his magnum opus was published in 1640, the Theatrum Botanicum, which ran to 1,788 large pages. The sheer scope and size was perhaps to prove the book's downfall because, while it was much revered and indeed plagiarised, it was never reprinted and now has the status of an extremely valuable rare book. Parkinson was writing at a time when Western herbalism was at its zenith, and his skills as a plantsman combined perfectly with his passion for science, observation and historical scholarship. In this editor's selection, Julie and Matthew have printed Parkinson's clear and lively description of a chosen plant's 'vertues' or healing properties, adding their own modern commentary and a contemporary take on his almost-forgotten herbal recipes. Busy herbalists, historians and gardeners will welcome this restoration and sensitive highlighting of Parkinson's huge lost classic. AUTHOR: Julie Bruton-Seal is a practising naturopathic herbalist, cranio-sacral therapist and iridologist. A fellow of the Association of Master Herbalists, she served on the AMH council and edited its magazine for many years. A former council member of the Herbal History Research Network, she is also a member of the Association of Foragers. She is a jeweller, photographer, artist, writer and a graphic designer. Matthew Seal has worked in the UK and South Africa as an in-house and freelance editor and later a writer in books, magazines and newspapers. He founded and is an honorary member of the Professional Editors' Guild in South Africa, is a licentiate in editorial skills of the City & Guilds Institute and an Advanced Professional member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading. He is a member of the Association of Foragers and an enthusiastic field botanist. 250 colour photographs, 55 b/w illustrations