In this autobiography of his early life (1800-1834), George Bentham, nephew of the great Utilitarian philosopher Jeremy Bentham, offers a lively depiction of the times, both in England and on the Continent, particulary of post-Napoleonic France, where he lived with his family for twelve years.

An emerging figure himself in the field of botany - where he would prove to be one of the great taxonomists of the century - George Bentham worked creatively for the scientific societies he joined, activity that culminated in his becoming an unofficial ambassador-at-large at scientific congresses in Europe in the 1830s, which he describes in enthusiastic detail.

The text of the manuscript, preserved in the Archives of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is published here for the first time, with an introduction providing historical context, explanatory notes, and indexes of plant names and of persons and works mentioned.