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, the Theatrum Botanicum, was published in 1640 and ran to 1,766 large pages. The sheer scope and size was the book’s downfall, because while it was much revered—it was never reprinted and, centuries later, has attained the status of an extremely rare and valuable book. Parkinson was writing at a time when Western herbalism was at its zenith, and his skills as a gardener combined with his passion for science, observation, and historical scholarship. Parkinson's clear and lively description of a plant's virtues or healing properties side-by-side with the editor's notes—including copious herbal recipes—make this the perfect book for students and practitioners of herbalism, historians, and gardeners. (Short Discoun t)