When I read in ForageAhead that Steve's revised version of his Shoots and Greens book was available, I stopped reading. I went immediately to his web site, http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/, to find out more about the book that I had wanted to purchase for years.

I read excerpts of it, and was impressed by the color photos, each labeled with key identifying characteristics. Deciding to buy it, I was a tad shocked that the color print edition was $54.95, so I looked at the other choices. It was available as a color download for $12.50, a black-and-white print edition for $14.95, or a black-and-white download for $6.25. I knew that I wanted it as a book instead of a download. The color edition is 263 pages, with 77 detailed illustrations and 161 color photos, all labeled to aid identification. The black-and-white edition is 127 pages, with 48 labeled drawings, but no photos. That made the decision easy. I ordered the color print edition.

Now that I have had it in my hands for a week and a half, have looked through it several times and read about 2/3 of it, do I regret my decision? Absolutely not. I can understand the expense due to self-publishing, with 161 color photos. Steve's edible wild plants savvy and his culinary genius make this book a great reference for both beginners and long-time hobbyists. His anecdotes, his sense of humor, his experiences, and his writing skill render the book fun to read.

Perhaps the biggest contribution of his book to the forager's reference library, however, lies in the photographs. These aren't just ordinary photos – they are great photos. Often, there are several photos per plant. They show the plant as it is in the early spring, then how it changes through the seasons. The photos are excellent at showing the salient characteristics helpful in identification. These characteristics are labeled on the photos and the drawings. One other thing ought to be mentioned: Steve has made the photos large enough to easily see the characteristics.

Shoots and Greens is not a small field guide type of book; in length and width, it is nearly the size of a sheet of paper, 8 inches by 11 inches. Some of the photos occupy most of a page, a welcome contrast to the tiny, difficult to see photos in many wild food books. Steve's use of large, labeled photos has raised the bar for future authors.