Isabella Lucy Bird (1831 – 1904) was a nineteenth-century English explorer, writer, photographer and naturalist. With Fanny Jane Butler she founded the John Bishop Memorial hospital in Srinagar. She was the first woman to be elected Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. In 1854 her life of travelling began when the opportunity arose for Isabella to sail to the United States accompanying her second cousins to their family home. Her father ”gave her 100 and leave to stay away as long as it lasted.”. Her ”bright descriptive letters” written home to her relations formed the basis for her first book ”An Englishwoman in America” published by Murray in 1856. John Murray, ”as well as being Isabella’s lifelong publisher, ... one of her closest friends. ” In 1872, going first to Australia, which she disliked, and then to Hawaii (known in Europe as the Sandwich Islands), her love for which prompted her second book (published three years later). While there she climbed Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. She then moved on to Colorado, then the newest member of the United States, where she had heard the air was excellent for the infirm. Dressed practically and riding not sidesaddle but frontwards like a man (though she threatened to sue the Times for saying she dressed like one), she covered over 800 miles in the Rocky Mountains in 1873. Her letters to her sister, first printed in the magazine Leisure Hour, comprised her fourth and perhaps most famous book, A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains.

In 1856, Isabella Bird published The Englishwoman in America, the first of what would be many books of her travels around the world. Adopting a tone of aloof bemusement, she describes in detail the hardships and annoyances of her travels by sea from England to Halifax, and on the road to Boston, Cincinnati, and Chicago. The book's 20 chapters are full of keenly observed and entertainingly told stories of pickpockets and luggage thieves, greasy hotels, and Americans who are very polite, but have the unfortunate habit of spitting on the floor. Bird admits to sharing the regrettably prejudiced view the English have of America, but nevertheless finds much to like and admire in this new country bustling with ethnically diverse immigrants full of energy and bravado. The Englishwoman in America is a wonderful travelogue that offers a lively and personal glimpse into mid-nineteenth-century America.

The Golden Chersonese is an evocative account, first published in 1883, of the author's final visit to the East. The book is a collection of 23 letters, written to her sister Henny in Scotland, in which she gives detailed descriptions of her travels and adventures in Malaya, Singapore, Indo-China and Hong Kong. The book includes fascinating accounts of many aspects of the region, including the people, culture,landscapes, and wildlife

Isabella Bird was a gifted observer of her surroundings and an intrepid adventurer. Her epic and austere trek from the capital of Meiji-era Japan northward to and thru Hokkaido gives readers a unique look at late 1800's Japan through the eyes of a westerner. By her rich prose, Bird draws a vivid word picture of the harsh life that confronted not only travelers but the average Japanese. Bird's account is a page turner--one that makes readers feel as if they are accompanying Bird on her trailblazing odyssey. Although the incessant fleas and mosquitoes biting throughout the night can almost be felt, so can the legendary courtesy and hospitality that are the hallmarks of the Japanese culture. This book can be appreciated by all, but especially by those who have traveled or lived in Japan.

This anthology is a thorough introduction to classic literature for those who have not yet experienced these literary masterworks. For those who have known and loved these works in the past, this is an invitation to reunite with old friends in a fresh new format. From Shakespeare’s finesse to Oscar Wilde’s wit, this unique collection brings together works as diverse and influential as The Pilgrim’s Progress and Othello. As an anthology that invites readers to immerse themselves in the masterpieces of the literary giants, it is must-have addition to any library

Product Description: First published 127 years ago, this classic travelogue by the world's most famous nineteenth-century lady travel writer offers a unique insight into Malaysia and Singapore in the 1880s and is one of the oldest surviving travelogues written by a woman...read more

First published in 1985. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.