One for the Road: Women Travelers – A Century of Trailblazing Adventures, 1850-1950

by Kelly Amabile on

Earlier this week I mentioned a book by U.K. imprint Virago that celebrates women travelers of the past. And today I’ve learned of another book, (this time from French publisher Flammarion) that pays tribute to female explorers who ventured out in years gone by: Women Travelers: A Century of Trailblazing Adventures, 1850 – 1950 celebrates the courageous journeys of thirty-one fascinating women from fourteen countries.

The featured women include Fanny Vandegrift, wife of Robert Louis Stevenson, and Nellie Bly, a journalist who went around the world in seventy-two days. Others include: Ida Pfeiffer, Alexine Tinne and Florence Baker. From the publisher: In the face of social convention, these women set off into the unknown. Their bold journeys 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.

The book of inspiring stories about pioneering women was written by French authors Alexandra Lapierre and Christel Mouchard.

Travel writing tips from around the web

by Kelly Amabile on

Lately, I’ve been pretty slack with some of my self-imposed writing goals. It’s all well and good to say “I’m going to write that article” or “I’m going to draft that book proposal” — but we all know that actions speak louder then words. And words don’t mean anything to a freelance writer unless they are typed out, spell-checked and on their way to an editor!

So I was happy to come across two travel writing tips, posted today by some of our friends around the web. Tidbits like these often help me kick-start stalled writing projects: First up, Eva Holland’s 9 Things I Learned About Travel Writing at Book Passage is up at Brave New Traveler. Eva, who also writes for World Hum, has compiled a great summary of her conference experience — she shares valuable tips from travel writing pros that she met during the annual travel seminar hosted by the Bay Area bookstore. And at BootsnAll, I found a book review for Crafting the Travel Guidebook: How to Write, Publish and Sell Your Travel Book. Reviewer Norm Goldman gives high marks to Barbara Hudgins “nitty gritty” look at guidebook writing. Once I’ve got a few more articles and stories under my belt, I’ll have to get my hands on a copy. But for now, of course, I best get going with some writing!

European Bookstore Guide

by Kelly Amabile on

Bibliophiles headed to Europe may want to bookmark this new website: the Bookstore Guide has only been around for about two months, but they already have over 40 independent shops listed on their site. This growing collection includes bookstores in cities like Tbilisi, Istanbul, Oslo, Liverpool and Graz. I discovered the blog because they referred to some reviews I wrote last year about my own European bookstore browsing days.

The allure of the out-of-town bookstore has been written about before, and I’m sure many travelers would agree with this sentiment. I’ve spent many hours on several continents idling in a variety of bookshops, especially English-language ones, which can offer precious familiarity and comfort during long stretches of time in places far from home. My favorite so far? Still has to be Massolit in Krakow, which is actually run by an American from New Jersey.

But now, thanks to Sonja and Ivan (creators of the new guide) we’ve all got a new and expanding list of shops to refer to on future European book-buying (or browsing) excursions.

One for the Road: Uncommon Traveler

by Kelly Amabile on

My mom is a children’s librarian and often introduces me to great travel titles for kids. The other day I was helping hang posters at her elementary school library when I spotted this book displayed on a top shelf: Uncommon Traveler is the true story of Mary Kingsley, born in England in 1862. Her father was a family physician who traveled the world caring for his wealth patrons, while Mary led a busy, sheltered life at home tending to her ill mother. But at the age of 30, both parents deceased, Mary was free to travel, and headed to West Africa.

The book has beautiful illustrations of Mary crossing dangerous ravines, battling an eight-foot croc and trekking with her guides through the forest towards the Remboue River (near what is now Gabon.) She took two journeys to West Africa, in 1893 and 1894, and developed a close relationship with members of the Fang tribe during her visits. She died during her third trip to the continent, while in South Africa as a volunteer nurse. Author and illustrator Don Brown has done a wonderful job capturing her bravery and spirit. Do you know of other children’s books that tell the stories of great women travelers?

One for the Road: Virago Book of Women Travellers

by Kelly Amabile on

Virago is a Latin word for woman, and Virago Press is a U.K. publisher known for its titles written by female authors. Several years back, travel writer Mary Morris (author of River Queen) edited the beautiful Illustrated Virago Book of Women Travellers, which was subsequently released in paperback.

It’s a lovely collection of stories by and about some of the greatest female explorers: Gertrude Bell, Freya Stark, Edith Wharton, Leila Philip, Emily Carr and Mary Wollstonecraft (mother of Frankenstein author Mary Shelley.) The book claims to capture “300 years of wanderlust as women travel the world for pleasure and peril.” Some things never change, huh? No matter the decade, there have always been adventurous women out there doing their own thing. Nice to see this tribute to some of the bravest from years gone by.