This most attractive work is part monograph, part memoir, and not only constitutes a species by species account of the species of Saintpaulia, but also includes a range of superb colour paintings both of African Violets and of other plant species of the Usambara rainforest in Tanzania. The author, who is highly regarded as a botanical artist - having won no less than 4 RHS gold medals - teaches botanical painting at Cambridge University Botanic Garden.