Women Travelers: A Century of Trailblazing Adventures 1850-1950 [Hardcover]

Alexandra Lapierre (Author), Christel Mouchard (Editor)

Book Description

Release date: October 16, 2007

An award-winning novelist brings to life the stories of the greatest women adventurers in history. From deserts and jungles to mountains and icebergs, they faced unimaginable dangers as they crossed all five continents, often armed with little more than a corset and an umbrella. Spanning a decade, this book mixes triumph and tragedy. The featured women include Fanny Vandegrift, the wife of Robert Louis Stevenson, who ventured all the way from Indiana to Samoa, and Nellie Bly, journalist and social reformer, who went around the world in seventy-two days. The thirty-one women celebrated here hail from fourteen countries and traveled to the farthest reaches of our planet. Twice as brave as their male counterparts, in the face of social convention, these women set off into the unknown. Their bold journeys across the globe had long-lasting effects on the role and status of women in society, and they made important contributions to disciplines as varied as medicine, archeology, and anthropology.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alexandra Lapierre has won international acclaim for her writing. Her works have been widely translated and she has received numerous awards, including the Honorary Award of the Association of American University Women. She earned an MFA degree in 1981 from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.Christel Mouchard is the author of many works about women explorers in her native French.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Flammarion (October 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 2080300180
• ISBN-13: 978-2080300188
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 1.1 x 12.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #412,062 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Women of Adventure February 14, 2008

By Juda

Format:Hardcover

I read a review of this book in an Australian newspaper and felt that I just had to have it. Due to it's popularity it was out of stock, so of course I looked on Amazon and there it was - and even with postage it's cheaper to buy overseas ! My package arrived safely and with excitement I ripped into it to reveal the most gorgeous book filled with amazing women and their stories. These women survived hardship, often with extreme weather and lengthy travel by any means in order to satify their wanderlust in a time when women were meant to stay at home and tend to husbands and children. I love that they remained true to themselves, however they saw themselves, some dressing as men to allow a greater range of travelling experience and others ensuring they travelled with the best goods such as porcelain teasets and linen sheets. If you adore armchair travel then this is the book for you - it takes you back to the time when a journey was dangerous, romantic and exotic and when the fun was in the getting there.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Women Travelers: A Century of Trailblazing Adventures 1850 - 1950 January 18, 2008

By Sydney J. Matchett

Format:Hardcover

I bought this book for my wife as a Christmas present and after she had thoroughly enjoyed reading it , I stared to peruse it .
A must read for everyone and more particular every woman.

Excellent.

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for women that love the adventure of travel! January 11, 2013

By Meredith M. Chase

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Had no idea women struck out into the unknown world as early as the 1500's. What an inspirational account of women travelers through the centuries. The photographs were priceless and the overall design of the book was one of the best I have ever seen. Many thanks to the author for the incredible research that went into the making of this book.