From New York Times bestselling author Helen Rappaport comes a superb and revealing biography of Mary Seacole that is testament to her remarkable achievements and corrective to the myths that have grown around her. Raised in Jamaica, Mary Seacole first came to England in the 1850s after working in Panama. She wanted to volunteer as a nurse and aide during the Crimean War. When her services were rejected, she financed her own expedition to Balaclava, where her reputation for her nursing—and for her compassion—became almost legendary. Popularly known as ‘Mother Seacole’, she was the most famous Black celebrity of her generation—an extraordinary achievement in Victorian Britain. She regularly mixed with illustrious royal and military patrons and they, along with grateful war veterans, helped her recover financially when she faced bankruptcy. However, after her death in 1881, she was largely forgotten. More recently, her profile has been revived and her reputation lionised, with a statue of her standing outside St Thomas's Hospital in London and her portrait—rediscovered by the author—now on display in the National Portrait Gallery. In Search of Mary Seacole is the fruit of almost twenty years of research and reveals the truth about Seacole's personal life, her "rivalry" with Florence Nightingale, and other misconceptions. Vivid and moving, In Search of Mary Seacole shows that reality is oftem more remarkable and more dramatic than the legend.

Mary Seacole (1805 to 1881) was an amazing woman, in many ways way ahead of her time. She was a free black woman born in Jamaica of Scottish and Creole descent. This is her autobiographical account of her colourful and brave life. She was named 'the greatest black Briton' in 2004 and also posthumously awarded the Jamaican Order of Merit.

The 'Greatest Black Briton in History' triumphed over the Crimea and Victorian England. "The Times" called her a heroine, Florence Nightingale called her a brothel-keeping quack, and Queen Victoria's nephew called her, simply, 'Mammy' - Mary Seacole was one of the most eccentric and charismatic women of her era. Born at her mother's hotel in Jamaica in 1805, she became an independent 'doctress' combining the herbal remedies of her African ancestry with sound surgical techniques. On the outbreak of the Crimean War, she arrived in London desperate to join Florence Nightingale at the Front, but the authorities refused to see her. Being black, nearly 50, rather stout, and gloriously loud in every way, she was obviously unsuitable. Undaunted, Mary travelled to Balaklava under her own steam to build the 'British Hotel', just behind the lines. It was an outrageous venture, and a huge success - she became known and loved by everyone from the rank and file to the royal family. For more than a century after her death this remarkable woman was all but forgotten. This, the first full-length biography of a Victorian celebrity recently voted the greatest black Briton in history, brings Mary Seacole centre stage at last.

This account contains important lessons for those of us who care, and demonstrates why she was voted the greatest black Briton in 2004.' Sarah Mullaly, Church Times Mary Seacole was born in Jamaica in 1805. She came to England in the hope of serving as a nurse in the Crimean War. Through sheer tenacity she eventually travelled to the Crimea with a letter of introduction from an English doctor to Florence Nightingale.After reading this letter, 'the Lady with the Lamp,' said she would be very happy to do all she could to help. Amidst many dangers, and against all odds, the unknown Jamaican nurse won deserved praise for devoted service to the British soldiers she 'mothered' during the Crimean campaign.

The true story of Mary Seacole, the "Celebrated Heroine of the Crimean War". Over two hundred years ago in Kingston, Jamaica, a little girl called Mary watched as her mother selected a bottle of medicine for a sick British soldier. This marked the beginning of Mary Seacole's passion for nursing, which would go on to shape the rest of her life. As a young woman, she would have to overcome personal tragedy - the sudden loss of her mother and husband - and prejudice from her peers to reach the battlefields of the Crimean War, nursing soldiers back to health and even carrying them from the midst of the fighting. With words by Susan Goldman Rubin and lively illustrations by Richie Pope, this is the true story of the "Celebrated Heroine of the Crimean War".

Mary Seacole is now known for her medical work in the Crimean war, and as a brilliant woman who combated the racial prejudice she experienced in her lifetime. But for a long time her story was lost. From growing up in Kingston, Jamaica as the daughter of a doctress to helping soldiers in the war, discover the details of the amazing life that Mary Seacole led in this beautifully illustrated book with real-life stories, timelines and facts.

In this acclaimed one-woman play, the true story of Mary Seacole is brought vibrantly to life, revealing how this fearless medical practitioner used traditional remedies to treat the sick and wounded, challenged racism in high places and won the hearts and minds of those she helped across the globe. Considered the greatest of all Black Britons, discover why and how she came to be so highly regarded, although she was an immigrant and a woman of colour in Victorian England.