I have an older edition that my sister bought for me for christmas several years back. It's one of the few books i'll have for the rest of my life because of its incredible value as a comprehensive herb and plant info resource. The edition I have has pictures, names, references in the front with longer descriptions in the back in the same style as an audubon society field guide book. It's great for picking up and reading random stuff or to lookup the medicinal uses of a specific herb. The book never ceases to amaze me. Of all the herb books i've read, this one is time and again the most useful.