Recollections of a Happy Life
Being the Autobiography of Marianne North

The Victorian botanist and painter Marianne North records her tropical journeys around the world in this two-volume 1892 autobiography.

Marianne North (Author), Janet Symonds (Edited by)

9781108041287, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 29 December 2011

368 pages, 1 b/w illus.
21.6 x 14 x 2.1 cm, 0.47 kg

Marianne North (1830–90), the Victorian amateur botanist and painter, travelled to distant countries of the world to paint exotic flora in their natural surroundings. This two-volume collection of her memoirs, edited by her sister and published in 1892, records North's remarkable travels. Laden with her palettes and easels, the independent North travelled alone and fended for herself. Her journals describe how she endured swarms of insects, scaled cliffs, trudged through wilderness and crossed swamps in order to reach the plants she wanted to paint. Volume 1 covers North's early upbringing and the origins of her enthusiasm for nature, and traces her travels through Canada and the United States, Jamaica, Brazil, Japan, Borneo, India and Sri Lanka. This fascinating autobiography reveals the stories behind North's art, which can still be appreciated today since she bequeathed her vivid paintings to Kew Gardens, where they are on display.

1. Early days and home life
2. Canada and United States
3. Jamaica
4. Brazil
5. Highlands of Brazil
6. Tenerife. California. Japan. Singapore
7. Borneo and Java
8. Ceylon and home
9. India.

Subject Areas: Botany & plant sciences [PST]