Great Deal!

Great info.

So nicely set in encyclopedia style book with all details combined together, it is really a pleasure to have it as the reference book. I definitely enjoy reading and finding a lot of details never heard before, yet to have 6 out of 5 stars needs a tips and hints on herbs - how to grow them, when possible.

It would not be necessary as book had no intention of a such to start with, but would be nice as lot of those herbs are easy to grow and our young ones from cities do not have a clue but to grab them from Supermarkets.

Yes, bigger images would make it 7 out of 5.

Awesome book.

The concept of this book is interesting, with information about the health benefits of particular spices and also lists a wide range of recipes using the selected spices. Historical facts are included, but not anything a quick visit to Wikipedia couldn't tell you.

Based on the layout, one would believe that this book was meant as an easy reference book, but without any sources it cannot be trusted as a valid source of information.

I find this very disappointing, as without proof or empirical evidence, the claims made in this book cannot be taken as fact.

Therefore, I recommend this book to someone who wishes to gain some basic knowledge about herbs and spices. But don't expect a reference book backed by scholarly sources.

I obtained the Kindle version of this book when it was offered for free. After taking one or two afternoons to read it, I realized that this was a book I wanted a printed copy of, and thus ordered the paperback addition for myself also.

Initially I did not care for the layout of the e-book, but came to appreciate its manner of presentation. The herbs are laid out in alphabetical order. The plant name, where it is commonly grown in the world, the part of the plant used, how it has been used in history, a potential health use, how it can be used in cooking, and finally a recipe or two using this particular spice.

While the Kindle addition has pictures, the book does not and could have been enhanced by a picture(s) of the plant, but that did not distract from the presentation of the material.

Learning how each spice might assist in my health took this book from a read it once, and never come back to it, to a I want to read and learn more of the herbs and spices we take for granted and overlook every day.

I personally enjoyed this e-book (enough to actually buy the paperback), and it is now a part of my ever expanding cookbook library.