In introducing the 1966-1985 writings of Stannard (formerly, medieval history, U. of Kansas), Riddle (North Carolina State U.) notes that as a philologist and grower of Mediterranean plants in US Midwest soil he wrote prolifically on the empirical facts as well as folklore embedded in historical documents about the use of plants for medicinal purposes. Articles are arranged chronologically in thematic sections on: the herbal genre as a medical document; the late medieval German prescription literature ( Rezeptliteratur ); Renaissance Italian and German contributions to pharmacy and botany; and studies on references to squill, dill, and identification of the plant called moly. Includes a photo of Stannard. Some will find retention of the original articles' pagination confusing rather than helpful. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)