Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady, by Edith Holden. New York: An Owl Book/Holt, Rinehart & Winston. 187 pp. $9.95

Edith Holden was an accomplished watercolor illustrator as well as a careful observer of the natural scene, one of a long line of English amateur naturalists of professional quality. Her romantic taste in poetry gives an interesting balance to her diary of 1906, which she never showed to anyone during her lifetime. Evidently the project was strictly for her private pleasure.

However, this charming love affair with the English and Scottish countryside became a best seller after its first publication in 1977, long after its author's death. This new facsimile reproduction is in a smaller format, more of a handbook in size. The color reproduction is good, and the meticulous hand lettering is still big enough to be easily read.