1868-1937

Aleen Cust has big dreams. And no one; not her family, society, or the law; will stop her. Born in Ireland in 1868 to an aristocratic English family, Aleen knows she is destined to work with animals, even if her family is appalled by the idea of a woman pursuing a veterinary career. Going against their wishes but with the encouragement of the guardian assigned to her upon her father's death, Aleen attends the New Veterinary College in Edinburgh, enrolling as A. I. Custance to spare her family the humiliation they fear. At last, she is on her way to becoming a veterinary surgeon! Little does she know her biggest obstacles lie ahead.

A biography of Walter Rothschild, nearly the richest child in the world when he was born in 1868, discussing his extreme shyness, and focusing on his lifelong fascination with animals, a passion that led him to collect animals from around the world, write books and scientific papers, a name five thousand species.