BOOK REVIEW

06 November 2026

Andrew Robinson reviews five of the best science picks.

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Andrew Robinson Andrew Robinson is a writer based in London and author of Earthshock (1993), The Story of Measurement (2007) and Einstein in Oxford (2024).

Nature’s Apothecary

Margaret Willes Bodleian Library Publishing (2026)

According to ancient Greek medical authority Hippocrates, “Nature itself is the best physician” — hence the title of writer Margaret Willes’s appealing book. Introduced with a substantial essay on European herbalism from medieval times to the present, it discusses 100 plants with medical properties, from alecost ( Tanacetum balsamita , a member of the daisy family) to the yew tree ( Taxus baccata ). Each is illustrated with an exquisite colour drawing taken from John Gerard’s 1597 The Herball, or Generall Historie of Plantes .

Sniff

William Tullett Yale Univ.…