The autobiography of Thomas Martyn (1735–1825), naturalist, cleric, and Cambridge professor of botany

A little-known autobiography of the Reverend Thomas Martyn (1735–1825), Professor of Botany at the University of Cambridge between 1762 and 1825, is transcribed and published here for the first time. A short introduction discusses Martyn's motivations for writing an autobiography that integrated his theological, botanical and literary interests. The physical makeup and content of this document are also described. By placing Martyn's autobiography in its historical context this article casts new light on one of the longest lives and careers of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.