Publisher's Synopsis
Women who travelled abroad in the 19th century were tourists and explorers, bearers of old traditions and creators of new.;This book looks at some of these indefatigable travellers and discusses them in relation to one representative country or region. Italy, an inheritance from the Grand Tour, lured the romantic tourists such as the Countess of Blessington or Mary Shelley; the New World attracted those more interested in social experiment, such as Harriet Martineau and Barbara Bodichon. Lastly, there were explorers who were attracted to the exoticism of the East, such as Isabella Bird in Japan or Alexandra David-Neel in Tibet.;Shirley Foster engages the reader in the journeys, experiences and writings of a range of travellers, showing how, for many women, travel represented a welcome release from the confines of society and an opportunity for personal expression.
