Wild & Fearless: The Life of Margaret Fountaine

by Natascha Scott-Stokes

The first full biography of the globe-trotting Victorian vicar’s daughter who became a noted entomologist but whose unconventional private life was at odds with the mores of her time. Drawing on a wealth of new material to tell a remarkable story, this biography documents passionate lover and fearless spirit—Margaret Fountaine. A true individualist, Fountaine's life was founded upon her idiosyncratic determination to pursue her work. Tempestuous love affairs with men from around the world aside, Fountaine can be counted as a pioneering traveler who considered the effects of tourism on native populations before anyone else, developing ideas of sustainable research while others were culling species for the world's museums. Time will tell whether Margaret Fountaine is to be ranked among the world's finest naturalists, but readers will find it as easy as always to fall under the spell of this great English eccentric.

Genres: Biography

300 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2006

About the author

Natascha Scott-Stokes is the author of Tales from the Sharp End: A Portrait of Chile published by the University of New Mexico Press in 2024, and has been a renowned independent traveler and author for over three decades. She established herself as a pioneering traveler in 1989, when she became the first woman to travel the length of the Amazon River alone, from its Marañon headwaters in the Peruvian Andes to the Atlantic off Brazil. Her book about that journey is titled An Amazon and a Donkey.
Soon afterwards, she based herself in Guatemala, where she not only met the Quebecois father of her two sons, but also co-authored two guide books and published Chickenbus Journey: False Paradise in Guatemala.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, she was inspired to take a journey into history by bicycle, following an ancient trade route for amber through the newly accessible countries of Eastern Europe. The book about that journey is titled The Amber Trail.
Natascha Scott-Stokes emigrated from England to Chile in 2006, but her family’s connection with the country goes right back to the 19th century, when her great-great-grandfather arrived in Valparaíso in 1873, with a contract to install the first submarine telecommunications cable between Peru and Chile.
The author has a Masters in Latin American history and archaeology from London University and is a member of various professional associations, including US-based Biographers International; the Chilean Translators’ Association; and the Society of Authors in the UK. She has four travel books and a biography to her name and has also co-authored a number of travel guides. The biography is of the pioneering butterfly collector and extraordinary traveler Margaret Fountaine, entitled Wild & Fearless: The Life of Margaret Fountaine.

Reviews

[Patricia Fieldhouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, it was an amazing insight into an extraordinary women from the late 1800s who travelled the world and had unusual relationships with men. Her love was an interesting Syrian man who supported and cared for her. I was blown away by her energy and indomitable spirit to keep on doing what she loved which was exploring the natural world.

[Cat MacFarlane · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing, action-packed book. Natascha's journey took her through countries reeling from the fall of the Berlin wall and into Serbia during the Bosnian War. Looking for what unites us, Natascha found instead the persistence of age-old divisions, hostilities and mistrust leaving her more in the dark than ever as to what it means to be European. A great book to read in light of all that has followed since.