The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady

A beautiful facsimile book of Edith Holden 1906 record/diary/amateur naturalist's log of poetry, observations, and colorful watercolors of the flora and fauna of her British countryside through the changing seasons. There is one chapter for each month, including background on the month's name and final section listing the scientific and common names of area wildflowers and birds.

Holden's carefully handwritten entries include her favorite relevant poems (Robert Burns, Edmund Spenser, etc.) and her observations of the wildlife she saw in her native Warwickshire from the year's first cuckoo to a hedgehog dead along the trail, etc.

This is a fascinating and personal time capsule.

I just couldn't get into the drawings of birds and the poems about nature and the naturalist observations. I would have liked more glimpses into what life was like for a lady in England in 1906. The most interesting parts were the explanations of the names of each of the months, which she got out of the encyclopedia; and the sideleaf that described the author's brief life (she dies at 49 by falling into the Thames).

This was a very lovely book filled with art and poetry reflective of one year’s seasons and the natural changes that mark them. I began reading this book last January and continued to read in month by month throughout 2009, which put another great dimension in Holden’s reflections of the changing of the seasons as I too was experiencing this. As someone with an amateur interest in nature and an enjoyment of journals, Holden’s year long journal really added to my consciousness of the seasonal changes, which while slightly different in my native Minnesota than in Holden’s Warwickshire still resonated with me.

There was less here than I was expecting. A nice book for what it is, but not what I was looking for.

Such a pleasure to dip into. When the 21st century gets too much, escape to Edith's world and then go for a good long walk in the countryside.

I have very fond memories of watching the TV adaptation of this book when I was a child. The illustrations are lovely and the gentle pace makes me wish for times past.

I met this lovely book in an antique store in Fort Langley. The watercolours, poems and quotations really attract me a lot. It's an magnificent and beautiful book!