Maiden Voyages: Writings of Women Travelers [Paperback]

Mary Morris (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 28, 1993

A collection of travelogues by distinguished women authors includes the writings of Mary Wollstonecraft, Vita Sackville-West, Annie Dillard, Isak Dinesen, Rebecca West, Willa Cather, Margaret Mead, and Mary McCarthy, among others. 20,000 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A grand collection of writings by women travelers spanning the continents and the years. Three hundred years of women traveling the globe, from Lady Mary Wortley Montagu in Constantinople to Mabel Sharman Crawford in Algeria, Frances Trollope on the domestic manners of the Americans to Edith Wharton in Morocco and Willa Cather in Europe. There are just so many fine writers like Isak Dinesen, Annie Dillard, and scads more you may never have heard of but ought to meet.

From Publishers Weekly

In her introduction to this collection, Morris ( Nothing to Declare ) notes that "women move through the world differently than men." She offers these 51 excerpts from the writings of intrepid women as examples of what she calls "feminist travel writing." The works yield a number of diverting moments, although in many cases the brevity of the pieces makes it difficult for the reader to become engaged with the writer or the place explored. In 1717, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu observes that Turkish attire so effectively conceals a woman's identity that she can move about in public with "more liberty than we have." In the 1930s, Vivienne de Watteville tries to photograph an African rhino seconds before it charges her. In the Edwardian age, a journey on horseback in Iceland prompts Englishwoman Ethel Brilliana Tweedie to speak out for "abolition of the side-saddle for the country, hunting, or rough journeys, for three reasons--1st, safety; 2nd, comfort; 3rd, health." During the Depression, Box-Car Bertha travels the United States, finding the hobo life to be remarkably varied but dangerous. During a stay in Shanghai, Emily Hahn acquires and then kicks an addiction to opium.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; 1 edition (September 28, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679740309
• ISBN-13: 978-0679740308
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1.1 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #754,848 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible travel stories, incredibly interesting women., March 29, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Maiden Voyages: Writings of Women Travelers (Paperback)

Sitting in the safety and comfort of my living room while reading "Maiden Voyages" made me to feel alternately happy to be home, and then longing to pack a bag, kiss the family goodbye, and take off on an adventure of my own. Presented in chronological order, beginning with the early 1700's, each exerpt is preceded by a brief description of the author. Only more incredible than the journeys themselves are the women who undertook them. I found myself wanting to read not only the complete texts, but also the biographies of the unique women- enough to keep me safely on the couch for a long time

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Women See the World, September 1, 2007

By 

Christine Zibas "AnythngArt" (Chicagoland, IL, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Maiden Voyages: Writings of Women Travelers (Paperback)

"Maiden Voyages" is a compilation of writings by women travelers dating as far back as the 1700s and as recently as the late 20th century. Now before you start moaning and saying to yourself "boring," think about women traveling anywhere before the last half of the 20th century. Some of the stories are simply amazing considering all that the women had to overcome simply to go where they wanted. And these women went everywhere, places where, even today, any well prepared traveler would still find the journey challenging--arctic regions, vast deserts, out in the bush, or riding the rails like a hobo.

The women whose stories are collected here also faced unique challenges because of their sex: One story that really struck me was of a woman mountaineer who had to go back up the mountain because she forgot her petticoat and couldn't return to "civilization" without it. The stories of the women collected in this book are enchanting, even inebriating with the allure of the road, for anyone to seeks the world beyond her doorstep. There are lots of excerpts from women whose names you will recognize: Margaret Mead, Joan Didion, Edith Wharton, and others. Even if you are not familiar with the traveler's name, her story is sure to hold your interest. Highly recommended for anyone who loves to travel...or just read about it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Collection for Women Travelers, April 22, 2010

By 

Katie Pickard Fawcett (Washington, dc) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Maiden Voyages: Writings of Women Travelers (Paperback)

This is an interesting collection of travel writing by women for women who enjoy traveling or simply dream about traveling. More than 50 essays by women travelers from Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689-1762, from Embassy to Constantinople)to Leila Philip (1962- ,from The Road Through Miyama). The essays spread across time and across the world -- Eleanor Clark in the Sahara, Mary McCarthy in Florence, Isak Dinesen in Africa, Edith Wharton in Morocco...magic, strange, sad, romantic, frightening, rewarding, reflective. Lots of good reading.