Author Description

Nineteenth-century writer and journalist Louisa Atkinson was a remarkable woman. She was the author, at the age of 23, of the first novel penned by a native-born woman to be published in Australia. She was also a keen naturalist, whose close observations and detailed knowledge of the natural world found expression in the articles she wrote for Sydney newspapers. Yet Louisa Atkinson also created many artworks of the flora and fauna around her home in the Blue Mountains, most of which went unpublished during her lifetime. Presented in the style of a sketchbook, and organised by season, Louisa Atkinson’s Nature Notes teams Louisa’s beautiful drawings and paintings of Australian plants, animals and birds with short extracts from her nature writings. The book includes an essay about Louisa Atkinson’s life and milieu by nature and science writer Penny Olsen. In Louisa Atkinson: Nature Notes Louisa’s beautiful sketches of Australian plants and wildlife are brought together with her articles from the Sydney newspapers in a reimagining of one of her sketchbooks. The result is a season-by-season account of nature in the Australian bush, observed by one who had a great respect and love for even the smallest of creatures. Perfect for dipping into, Louisa Atkinson’s Nature Notes is a nostalgic coffee-table book for anyone who loves art, nature or history. An ideal Mother’s Day or Christmas gift. The selection of Louisa’s writings was edited and chosen by natural history author, Penny Olsen, who has also contributed a short lively biography at the back of the book.