An Introduction to Botany: In a Series of Familiar Letters, with Illustrative Engravings (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781108077217)

Coming from a prosperous London Quaker family, the author Priscilla Wakefield (1751-1832) wrote educational books for children, and one work for adults, Reflections on the Present Condition of the Female Sex (1798), also reissued in this series. This 1796 book on botany, a science which 'contributes to health of body and cheerfulness of disposition' but is difficult to study because of its Latin nomenclature and the cost of textbooks, offers a simple introduction for children through the medium of letters between sisters, as 'Felicia' shares with 'Constance' her growing understanding of plant science. Felicia's governess is a follower of Linnaeus, whose classificatory system is described as 'the one universally adopted', and by the twenty-eighth and final letter, Felicia is describing the class Cryptogamia. This illustrated account in simple language gives an insight into the level of education thought appropriate for young girls at the end of the eighteenth century.

Author: Priscilla Wakefield
ISBN-10: 1108077218
ISBN-13: 9781108077217
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 12/11/2015
Pages: 222
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.63lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.51d