Love Among The Butterflies – The Travels and Adventures of a Victorian Lady

First published in 1980 and edited by W. F. Cater from the remarkable diaries of Victorian traveller and naturalist Margaret Fountaine (1862–1940), Love Among The Butterflies is an extraordinary memoir that combines adventure, travel writing, natural history and personal confession. Drawn from diaries that remained sealed for decades after her death, the book reveals the life of a woman who defied many of the conventions of her age while pursuing her passions across the globe.

Love Among The Butterflies follows Fountaine from her conventional upbringing in rural England into a life of astonishing independence. Armed with curiosity, determination and a fascination with butterflies, she travelled through Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, Tibet and beyond at a time when such journeys were challenging even for men, let alone a woman travelling largely on her own. Along the way she collected specimens, documented wildlife and developed a reputation as a serious lepidopterist whose scientific work remains significant today.

What makes Love Among The Butterflies especially compelling is its combination of scientific exploration and deeply personal reflection. Fountaine writes candidly about romance, heartbreak, social expectations and her determination to live life on her own terms. Her adventures include encounters with bandits, dangerous travel conditions, exotic landscapes and the many cultural worlds she experienced during her journeys.

Rich in historical detail and filled with the spirit of discovery, Love Among The Butterflies offers a fascinating portrait of an unconventional Victorian woman whose courage, intellect and wanderlust continue to inspire modern readers. It is an absorbing choice for enthusiasts of travel memoirs, women’s history, natural history and biography.

Condition: Good – Ex lib with associated stamps and stickers. Dust jacket unclipped, faded on spine.