The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady

ISBN: 1846660149

"To sit on rocks; to muse o'er flood and fell;

To slowly trace the forest's shady scene;

Where things that own not man's dominion dwell;

And mortal foot hath ne'er or rarely been!

To climb the trackless mountain all unseen;

With the wild flock, that never need a fold;

Alone o'er steeps and foaming falls to lean;

This is not solitude: 'tis but to hold

Converse with Nature's charms, and view her stores unrolled."

  Byron.

                                                                                                                      

And so we are introduced to the wonderful Centenary re-issue of The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady, aptly preparing us for what is to follow.

Author Edith Holden was born in Kings Norton, Worcester, England in 1871. But it was in the small village of Olton in Warwickshire that she wrote and illustrated her famous diary in 1906. Reflected in her exquisite paintings, Edith Holden's love and perception of nature is obvious. It is a wonderful record of the diversity of the English countryside in the early 20th century, through her eyes.

The exquisite beauty of her paintings touches your soul, with wonderfully blended colour and minute attention to detail.  Her favourite poems are included, to enhance the theme or mood of the illustrations. Her diary entries are fascinating insights into the changing delights of nature brought forth by each season.

Handwritten in Edith's beautiful copperplate handwriting, the text adds to the authentic feel of this book and the era in which it was penned.

This volume would be a wonderful addition to the library of any lover of historical naturalist artwork- or of the abundance of nature itself!