Wayward Women: A Guide to Women Travellers

by Jane Robinson

For over sixteen centuries, women have been undertaking great journeys and writing about their experiences, yet the traditional image of them is still that of a brave Victorian lady vigorously prodding the ends of the Earth with her parasol. But by their very nature, women travelers are a
non-conformist breed. The abbess Etheria's fourth-century account of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land relates not only the religious significance of her journey, but also the difficulties mountaineering on Mount Sinai. Mary Wollstonecraft wrote of her secret voyage in 1795 to Scandinavia--all for the
love of a cad. And some of the most glamorous women of the 1920s were likely to feel just as comfortable at a supper club as stalking their dinner in a central-Asian wasteland.
Now reissued in attractive new covers and illustrated with eight pages of black and white plates, Wayward Women recounts the adventures of some 400 of these travelers, together with full bibliographical details of all of the books they produced between them. These writings, many of which are
brought to light here for the first time in generations, form a significant and previously neglected body of literature, full of insight, courage, and humor.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Womens

344 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Kaily · Rating 3 out of 5]

An amazing book to learn about some of the women that traveled around the globe, but it's a bit of a tedious read in itself. It would probably be excellent resource for a report, essay, etc.

[Jane Glaister · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring, well researched reference book. Who has heard of Mrs Sarah Heckford - she was a star!

[Loretta · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating read about women who were adventurous enough to travel alone in an era when it was considered to be completely inappropriate behaviour. These ladies were years (centuries in some cases) ahead of their times, and refused to be tied down by the conventions of their day. Who could not admire Mary Kingsley canoeing herself through West Africa? The Abbess Etheria, who wrote an account of her pilgrimage to the Holy Land circa 381-384. She, of course, wrote in Latin, written English hardly being the norm in those long ago days. Most of these ladies, however, took their adventures between 1750-1920. Travel, in itself, was not a rarity in those days. But ladies travelling ALONE??? It simply wasn't done.

My only problem with this book is that the accounts of many are far too brief, merely a summary. And it can be dry in places. What I enjoy is the spirit of gusto, and gung ho, with which these ladies threw themselves into their adventures, and how much they relished the hitherto unknown joys of freedom.

Don't expect to read a full account of their travels, this is a very quick dip into the lives of some feisty ladies. It will very likely leave you wanting to know more about some of them.

[Johanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird, just plain weird. It is a biographical listing of women travellers from the 17th c onwards. They are loosely grouped in categories such as "unfeminine exploits" and "unfrequented peaks". Each woman has a potted bio and a list of her books with publication details. The potted biographies are an odd mix of factual and slightly "jolly hockeysticks" observations. A useful resource for anyone interested in women travellers but frustratingly short on actual detail as there are no extracts from the works listed.

[Sharen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent resource and an inspiring book for the 21st century, considering what many of these women travellers accomplished in the 19th century!
Fascinating, with a touch of humour!