Herbs

Gifted English writer and herb-garden designer Bremness (Complete Book of Herbs) here produces a work of some interest, but little use. In an attempt to fit more than 700 herbs from all over the world into one glossy little book, no aspect of plant knowledge is more than merely touched upon. Although the photographs are numerous and crystal-clear, this is not a dependable field guide for plant identification, nor does it tell us what we can do with the herbs, in spite of many references to what they have been used for in various parts of the world. Editorial consultant Holly Shimizu's introduction makes wonderful reading, covering plant anatomy and much else. While the main entries include clear illustrations of what the entire plant looks like-a feature lacking in some other herb books-we don't learn whether the herb in question can be coaxed to grow for us. Beautiful it is, but the book isn't useful enough. (Sept.)