Mrs Delany: Her Life and Her Flowers By Ruth Hayden (British Museum Press, £12.99 in UK)

Beautifully illustrated with the flower collages and drawings for which Mary Delany became famous, this biography elegantly captures the privileged society of 18th-century England and Ireland. Mary Granville was born into an English aristocratic family in 1700. Owing to the political and financial misfortunes of her father, she was forced into an unhappy marriage with a much older man at 17. Her life changed with the death of her husband in 1724 and her move to Dublin in 1744 following her second marriage to Dr Patrick Delany, a Church of Ireland clergyman. Mary Delany had a wide range of social contacts, including Handel, Swift, Burke and Garrick. Towards the end of her life she became friendly with King George III and Queen Charlotte, who were both interested in her flower collages or "paper mosaicks". Ruth Hayden has fashioned a remarkable portrait of this independent-minded woman. From her detailed use of Mary's voluminous correspondence emerges an intelligent and witty woman. A truly engaging book.