LADY WITH A LAMP

Like the Northcott which follows, this is a short compact biography that concentrates on the most outstanding events in the life of its subject- Florence Nightingale. First chapters are brought vividly to bear on the sharp contrast between the life of luxury into which Florence was born as a girl of the early 1800's and the self sacrificing career she chose for herself in spite of great social and personal opposition. Shifting then to Crimea and the horrors of a war with untended wounded soldiers, the narrative given brief but pointed insight into the disorder caused by tradition minded officials and the remarkable object lesson taught them by one woman. More complete than the Schweitzer book though there is less to deal with in the Nightingale story. It is unfortunate that the stiff, old-fashioned format on these two will detract from sales appeal.