In the Footsteps of Anne Lister (Volume 2): Travels of an intrepid English gentlewoman in 1820s Europe

by Adeline Lim

Anne Lister: Nineteenth-century traveller. Mistress of Shibden Hall, Halifax. Prolific diarist, non-conformist, insatiably curious, a true adventuress.

Adeline Lim has spent two years chasing Anne Lister across the European continent. Criss-crossing from Ghent to Cologne, Strasbourg to Milan, Venice to Lausanne, Dinant to Lucerne, Adeline has pitted herself tirelessly against all Anne experienced. Medieval cities, tremendous mountains, verdant landscapes, cobalt blue lakes, savage gorges, the Rhine, the Rhône, Adeline has seen them all.

The result is a dazzling account of Anne Lister’s travels through Belgium and Germany’s Rhine in 1829 and is the ultimate guide to her tour of Italy and Switzerland in 1827.

Become immersed in Anne’s adventures and travel back in time through extracts of her diary, travel journals and letters – it is mesmerising.

This book contains never before published excerpts of Anne Lister’s journals and letters from 1826, 1827 and 1829, maps of Anne’s travels and appendices listing all the villages and cities Anne travelled through or visited in Belgium, Germany, France, Switzerland and Italy.

392 pages, Paperback

First published April 11, 2022

Reviews

[Heather Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was Helena Whitbread who liberated Anne Lister (1791 - 1840) from the archives of Halifax in the 80s. However, it is Adeline Lim who released Anne Lister from the confines of Halifax and into Continental Europe.

Adeline Lim, an Australian writer who lives in Germany, skilfully recounts the remarkable story of Anne Lister's travels based on her 19th-century diaries. Adeline herself is no armchair explorer. A bold and ambitious project, the book encompasses 2 years' of travel and research; from the backwaters of Belgium, to the idyllic Rhine River in Germany, to the lofty summits of Switzerland, into romantic Italy and sultry France, this book captures Anne Lister's passion for travelling, her observations, her amusement, her disappointments, her time with her female lovers, what she ate and incredibly, even her 'bowel movements'. All this is recounted with verve and palpable relish by Adeline.

Adeline captures Anne at her best, critically assessing a painting in Italy, enjoying a meal in Switzerland, climbing cathedral towers of great heights in France, staring down dodgy gondoliers in Venice, chasing cheese gone astray, all the things she did with her right middle finger... To my amusement, the book also provided insight into what Anne thought of the Italian language, describing it as 'turkey-cock splutter'!

The book cover design is ingenious. It is the profile of the Bernese Oberland which Anne wrote of in her diary - the summits of the Eiger, Moench and Jungfrau towering over the the landscape. The motifs represent the various nations Anne had visited.

I loved the book and would take it with me to read again when I head off to Europe in August. I would suggest you do the same. Adeline's enthusiasm for travel is contagious.

[Marina Harmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here's a tip: Skip ahead to Chapter 7. The way the writer opens that chapter makes you want to drop everything, pack your bags and head to Europe. Once there start the book from the beginning... because this book would be a fabulous companion as you travel Europe, following in - you guessed it - Anne Lister's footsteps.

Adeline Lim is a writer unafraid to share her research and has made following in Anne's footsteps easy with this book. There are maps that provide a route and detailed appendices provide information on where Anne Lister went.

It is regrettable Anne Lister died during one of her trips in 1840; her life cut short at 49 years of age. She could have explored more countries and her adventures would have been endless. The author's book extols all the virtues of the adventurous spirit of Anne Lister. Here is a dogged promoter of Anne Lister's unrealised dreams. If you are interested in Anne Lister's life of adventure, you will not go wrong with this book.

As Anne Lister once wrote, 'Going abroad always likely to do good. People should not grow mouldy at home'.

Keep travelling Adeline Lim, keep travelling! And will there be a Volume III??

[Laura Liddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adeline Lim is a rare author who removes herself from her pages and sets the words from Anne Lister's diary, painstakingly written by Lister and transcribed and edited by Adeline (nearly 200 years later), centre stage. Adeline Lim writes of Lister's relationships, decision-making, travels and behaviour without judgement and without censure. Instead, the author injects a quirky sense of humour and acceptance of what would probably not be acceptable in today's 21st-century society.

This book provides insight into Anne Lister's travels in 1827 and 1829 and covers a massive amount of France, Switzerland and Italy. The fact that Adeline invested so much of her time chasing Lister throughout Europe over two years, visiting breathtaking cities and rural villages and scrambling down ravines and climbing mountains boggles the mind. The pace Adeline sets herself and her insatiable curiosity equals that of Lister's determination to see it all.

So many of the books about Anne Lister are about her life as a lesbian and her relationships. Adeline's work is a marvellously fresh take on what Anne truly was: an intrepid traveller first and foremost.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lockdown, for Adeline Lim, was not a time for Netflix or baking. Instead, she set about transcribing the travels of the infamous English diarist, Anne Lister, over an extended period in the 19th century. From her home in West Germany, she spent her time transcribing, writing and researching. Whenever there was a sliver of freedom from lockdown restrictions, she travelled in the footsteps of Anne Lister. And travel extensively she did. What we have here now is a rare and detailed account of Anne's travels between 1827 and 1829 - with a focus on Anne's grand tour of Switzerland and Italy with Maria Barlow. Almost every page offers insight into Anne's mind, for the book is rich with diary transcriptions. Still, at the same time, Adeline Lim provides context and clarification of the sometimes mind-boggling terms and spelling Anne used. I recommend the paperback to the e-book because the maps come alive on the pages. To be able to trace your finger on the pages, following Anne's travels is just priceless.

[Alison Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous read of Anne Lister and Maria Barlow's travel adventures through France, Switzerland and Italy in 1827. The author has transcribed Anne Lister's diary and travel journals herself AND travelled in her footsteps. Her determination to follow Anne over mountains and up the rickety ladders of Albinen is commendable! Adeline mainly focuses on Anne Lister, but when she does write of her own adventures, they are funny and light-hearted. This is a highly recommended read if you enjoy travel and reading about Anne's time with Maria Barlow. The book also incorporates Anne's 1829 travels with Vere Hobart and her journey along the Rhine River with Lady Duff-Gordon.