The appearance of Margaret Fountaine's diaries in 1978 led to a publishing sensation. "Love Among the Butterflies" recorded the activities and private passions of a Victorian vicar's daughter from Norfolk who became one of the foremost entomologists of her day. Although the public was captivated by Fountaine's unorthodox private life, she has never been given serious consideration for her work, nor has a biography ever been written of her until now. Natascha Scott-Stokes draws on a wealth of new material to tell Fountaine's remarkable story. A passionate lover and fearless spirit, Margaret Fountaine was a true individualist whose life was founded upon her idiosyncratic determination to pursue her work. Tempestuous love affairs with men from around the world aside, Fountaine can be counted as a pioneering traveller who considered the effects of tourism on native populations before anyone else and developed ideas of sustainable research whilst others were culling species for the world's museums.
Time will tell whether Margaret Fountaine is to be ranked among the world's finest naturalists, but readers will find it as easy as always to fall under the spell of this great English Eccentric.