The Country Diary Of An Edwardian Lady - A Book Review
The Country Diary Of An Edwardian Lady
Written by Edith Holden
First published in 1977
Recommended ages 5+
A book review by Anna Kay Thomas
This personal nature journal was kept by illustrator Edith Holden to chronicle the year 1906 from January 1st to December 31st and wasn’t discovered until the mid-1970s. As an exact copy of her journal written over one hundred years ago, this publication loses none of the charm put into the original. Her breathtaking watercolor paintings attest to the fact that she had the eye of a naturalist with her accurate portrayals of both plants and animals. She knew how to look for and where to find the treasures and bright colors of every season in the English countryside of Olton and its surrounding areas.
Every month begins with its facts, history, feast days, mottos, and a beautiful painted scene to showcase the highlights of that month. The author’s skillful penmanship is shown by the use of different styles of calligraphy to title each month, and by her clear, neat handwriting.
The journal entries detail the things Ms. Holden came across during her travels, nature walks, biking outings, parties with friends, and when she was painting in the outdoors. Many of the birds, mammals, reptiles, flowers, grasses, trees, nuts, fruit, fungi, and insects she mentioned have an accompanying, labelled watercolor of the wildlife. Appropriately themed poetry, by some of the artist’s favorite poets, is also paired with the season, month, animal, and greenery of the entries she added. Her calligraphy, paintings, well-researched facts, folklore, cultural insights, and her appreciation for the world around her created a whimsical book that can be enjoyed by every generation at any time of year.
This book is for those who love British poetry, who are naturalists at heart, who desire an insight into European natural history, and who have dreamed of a book with artistry worthy of Beatrix Potter and an eye for beauty worthy of Anne Shirley. Wishing you the best on your literary trek!
“We picnicked under the hedge, with pink and white Clover bloom and tall grasses nodding round our heads, while a pair of excited Robins chattered and fluttered in the bushes round us, evidently very curious as to what we were about, down in their field corner.” - Edith Holden
Reflective Question:
If you kept a nature journal, what kind of special touches could you add to it? (Suggestions: Taping or laminating pressed vegetation into your pages with labels, drawing or painting some of the things you write about, using pens with colorful ink or calligraphy, taping feathers you have collected with the name of the bird it came from into your pages, using markings from colored pencils as reference for the colors you see around you, printing out the pictures you take to add to your journal, etc.)