Ruth Binney

MT caught a cold and shared it with me, so I'm short on attention span and long on grumpiness at the moment (and on a 3 day weekend too!, she wails), so I'm clearing out the books from my TBR that are 'easy'; bite sized chunks of fact rather than narratives that require more than 2 consecutive minutes of concentration.

Nature's Way is just such a book. 1 page of small nuggets, each relating to an animal, plant, health, superstition, etc. Each one covers more myth, legend and lore than fact, but they're interesting, even if not likely to be useful even on the odd Trivial Pursuit game night.

Easy to flick through, put down, and pick up, it's perfect for those times when you're brain is too busy mustering up an immune response to focus on anything ... else.… (más)

Animal Lore and Legend by Ruth Binney is just that. All Legends and false facts. Maybe it could be better if there were some real facts in it. The cover is eye-catching and the illustrations on it are wonderful. But the illustrations inside the book are something else. There was no color, which is important if the intended audience are children. Random beliefs are filled on the pages in every space available. I liked the information on mythical creations and the topic of loch ness monster was interesting as I didn't know about it. The book also includes Chinese years and the animals that symbolize them along with their characteristics. It was an okay book, but not for someone looking for more depth.… (más)

Animal Lore and Legend by Ruth Binney

Filled with folklore and other tidbits about animals this book covered a lot of ground with snippets that included beliefs about animals and how people perceive them. There was some mention of animals in the Bible as well. The first section of the book deals with animals ways, folklore, beliefs, religion, and some ethnic variations on how specific animals are perceived. The second section dealt with love, luck, more folklore, history, dreams and animals in astrological signs. The book ended with animals as gods,
spirits and monsters. The book is mostly words but does have a few black and white simple illustrations. I believe this is a simple book that could have had more detail but perhaps is geared toward children rather than adults.

Thank you to Net Galley and Dover Publications for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars… (más)

A book about natural lore can take many shapes: A history (what ancients thought you could do with a particular herb). A natural herb guide ("willow bark contains painkillers like asperin"). An anti-science screed. A lot of superstition.

This book has a little of each. The history of the use of herbs is truly fascinating, and most of it seems well-researched. The uses of herbal medicines -- it's not so clear. I'd love to see some scientific data to go with the other. And there is a little too much superstition for my taste.

Your mix of interests may vary. This is a readable book. It rarely goes into much depth, but that means that it gives at least fleeting coverage to a wide range of topics. Is it the book of lore I would take if I were going to be stranded on a desert island alone? Probably not. But if I were stranded with a doctor who had a real medicine kit, and then wanted to know about some other plants and animals in the vicinity, this could be rather appealing.… (más)