Florence Nightingale's Spiritual Journey: Biblical Annotations, Sermons, and Journal Notes

Elisabeth Anne MacDonald-Murray is an assistant professor of English at
the University of Western Ontario.

Florence Nightingale (1820–1910) is vaguely remembered now as “the
Lady of the Lamp.” But in her own time, the pioneering nurse was a
celebrity, attracting fulsome praise, vindictive hostility, and frequent
controversy for her role as a social and medical reformer. She was a
strong and dedicated woman who, at 16, believed that God had called her
to a life of service, a call that led to her nursing vocation. In recent
years, interest has rekindled in her social reforms, her spirituality,
and her views on society and politics. In response to this renewed
attention, Lynn McDonald has embarked on the formidable task of
producing the first collected works of a writer and thinker whose work
was both prolific and diverse. When completed, the series will comprise
16 volumes. The first three volumes focus on Nightingale’s life and
family, her spiritual journey, and her theology; these initial volumes
provide an invaluable introduction to the heart of her thought and work.

McDonald has organized the collection within a thematic structure that
provides a much-needed coherence to the work. She begins each book with
an overview of the writings contained in the volume, placing these
writings within the context of Nightingale’s life, work, and thought.
The texts, which include biblical annotations, unpublished sermons,
journal entries, and recipes, follow with as few editorial comments as
possible. The comprehensive nature of the work results in volumes that
are dense and overwhelming. However, McDonald’s admirable
organization, fine introductions, and extensive appendixes, indexes, and
bibliographies ensure that this series will prove to be a valuable
resource for scholars.