Reviews for Elisabeth - a Biography: From Bavarian Princess to Queen of the Belgians

The average rating for Elisabeth - a Biography: From Bavarian Princess to Queen of the Belgians based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-03-23 00:00:00 Josslin Smith Charles Fleming (1916–1987) rates as one New Zealand’s most distinguished and honoured 20th century scientists. The span of his interests, which ranged from palaeontology to cicada song, was quite extraordinary, as was his energy, dedication and prolific publishing output. Later in life, he joined the growing conservation movement, showing that public servants could take a stand on such issues as native forest logging. Fleming grew up in a privileged background in Remuera, Auckland. Always smartly dressed, sometimes with a bow tie, he cut a slightly eccentric figure even as a young man. That he was no ordinary person was reflected by some of his fellow schoolmates who thought him ‘a wonderfully enthusiastic madman.’ Early on Fleming participated in expeditions to offshore islands, where his initial interest in shells collecting was soon surpassed by a fascination with birds. It was Fleming and companions who, on a hair-raising ascent of Little Mangere Island in 1937, confirmed that the Chatham Island black robin still existed. After graduating from Auckland University College with a Bachelor Science in 1940, Charles gained employment as a field geologist for the New Zealand Geological Survey. He married fellow science student Peg Chambers in 1941, during the uncertainties that World War II posed for all men of eligible fighting age. Instead of being sent overseas to war, Charles was posted to the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands for a year as part of a coast watching team (New Zealand authorities suspected German ships were frequenting the area). While he was away, Peg gave birth to their first daughter. Fleming spent the rest of his working life with the Geological Survey, but his scientific output was rarely confined to geology alone. In his spare time he pursued interests in ornithology and entomology. Ultimately this breadth of knowledge enabled him to make his greatest contribution to science – his work on New Zealand biogeography. In 1967 he became the second of only two New Zealanders (and 90 worldwide) to become a Fellow of the Royal Society. Later in life, Fleming lent his considerable mana to the conservation cause. At a time when it was uncommon for scientists to express moral opinions in their area of expertise, Charles became an articulate and authoritative spokesperson for the environmental movement, adding his voice to such causes as the ‘Save Manapouri’ and ‘Fight them on the Beeches’ campaigns. During a 1969 science conference, Fleming asserted ‘I must confess that the progressive conversion [to pine] of some of the lowland areas of indigenous forest outside of national parks fills me with dismay,’ adding ‘Do you not think it is time we allowed some feeling into science? Why do you think young people have drifted away from scientific careers in Europe and America? Perhaps because scientists avoid involvement in the world’s aesthetic and moral problems, judging all progress in terms of dividends and Gross National Product.’ In 1977 he received a knighthood for his services to science and conservation. I’d normally shy away from a biography written by a family member, for obvious reasons of subjectivity and filial attachment. But in this exceptionally well-researched biography, author Mary McEwen has managed to use her unique position as Fleming’s second daughter and as a scientist herself to paint an intimate and assured portrait of her father. As a scientist McEwen places her father’s achievements in the context of scientific history. ‘[Fleming] bridged the gap between the nineteenth-century all-round naturalist and the ecologist of the mid-twentieth century and contributed a geologist’s long-term perspective…he applied ‘holistic’ thinking – before the term became popular – when most fields of science were becoming more specialised and reductionist.’ McEwen also combines other perspectives – that of being a NFAC campaigner herself, but one married to a Forest Service scientist – to write some of the most balanced summaries of the controversies over native forest logging in the 1970s and 1980s that I’ve read. As a daughter McEwen can also evaluate the role of her mother, Peg Fleming, as the underlying hero in Charles’ career. Charles Fleming was a self-confessed workaholic, often labouring late into the night on personal projects after a full day with the Geological Survey. Peg not only raised their three daughters and ran the household, but also contributed her own scientific knowledge and advice to his work. She was the social glue and companion that supported him to be the best scientist he could be. Charles Fleming liked to think of himself as a ‘green dot.’ He died in 1987 content in the knowledge that the fourth Labour Government had finally drawn the disparate government agencies (other green dots) with conservation responsibilities into one organization – the Department of Conservation. Those of us who admire that legacy have a lot to thank Fleming for, and will enjoy this accomplished biography. In Charles Fleming’s own words, ‘He serves his country best who loves the land itself.’

Review # 2 was written on 2016-10-14 00:00:00 David Tan Saw this when we visited Oakley Plantation. Really enjoyed it. She was always in the shadows of his life. As it turned out she was a strong, well educated woman from a wealthy English family. Also I learned that Audubon spent more time in LA than I thouht.