Ever Yours, Florence Nightingale : Selected Letters

Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1990. Bright, clean, square, tight, unmarked copy. Sharp corners. Not a book club edition. Not price clipped (29.95). No owner's name or bookplate. No remainder mark. A few illustrations. Introduction and revealing notes by the editors. An intimate look at the "savior of the British soldier" who relentlessly campaigned for reforms in professional nursing, medical education, and hospitals. She was major force in the improvement of housing, food, and sanitation for the armed forces throughout the empire, especially in the Crimea and India. From the Dust Jacket: "For many, Florence Nightingale is the most famous woman of her day, second only perhaps to Queen Victoria. Celebrated and beloved by the public and her friends, considered an irritant by politicians and bureaucrats, the great reformer remains a figure of considerable controversy. In this full 'life in letters' we see her at first hand. Martha Vicinus and Bea Nergaard weave together a narrative account and a selection of her letters in such a way as to create - in Nightingale's own words - a fascinating portrayal of the woman, her career, and her concerns. These letters are wonderfully revealing. Had Nightingale not been a reformer, she might have been a writer, with a sure style and acerbic wit... Her letters bring to light conflicting views on women... One also sees her own personal relations and conflicts, including a painful relationship with her mother an sister." Glossary of Nightingale's Major Correspondents. Selected bibliography of writings by and about her. Index. Original maroon cloth. First Printing of the First Edition. Hardcover. Fine condition/Near Fine dust jacket. 8vo. xii, 461pp .