The Shaker Herb and Garden Book
By Rita Buchanan
Houghton Mifflin, $27.95
ISBN 0395733251
For purists
Review by Kelsey Allen
The Shaker Herb and Garden Book by Rita Buchanan could very well be one of the best, and most unlikely, holiday books of the season. For starters, though in the form of a garden manual, The Shaker Herb and Garden Book offers a message as enduring as the Shaker culture itself. Talk about noble values and generous spirits -- as Buchanan explains, the Shakers were, and are, a deeply religious and ethical people who valued purity, wholeness, and honesty -- all good qualities to keep in mind during this season.
This book is in part Shaker history, which, unknown to some, is also the history of horticulture and agriculture. It's a wonderful gift for a time of year when gardeners begin to consider spring planting. Gardeners and nongardeners alike, however, will be interested to learn about this 19th-century society -- a culture known for creating gardens mindfully and using their fruits with reverence, another timely message for this age.
So if you know the Shakers only for furniture, you'll discover that their influence is as close as the food on our plates.
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