Annotated Bibliography of Selected Works by Women Travelers, 1837-1910 By John Theakstone These summaries of books in my own collection aim to provide something of the flavour of these accounts by relying as far as possible on the words of the writers themselves. This edition dated Summer 2003. Anon Nothing known From Monte to Mosul [1909] Monte Carlo was the most difficult spot in the world to tear oneself away from. However, the unknown author had promised her friend Tig to start with him for Assyria on 25th January 1906. She started from Damascus with one short tailor-made skirt, but the pommel of Thomas Cook & Sons' extraordinary saddle had worked its way through. Two pairs of stockings [quite worn out by the time they got to Mosul, three handkerchiefs, with one change of underlinen, was the whole of her luggage, except for an old black dress, kept for state occasions, that usually lived rolled up at the bottom of a kit-bag. At Mosul in April, they pitched their camp within the city walls. The wind might blow, and it might rain all night, as it did, but she was going to sleep looking towards Nineveh. The streets were narrow and paved, and the bad weather had made them dirty. Both in the bazaars and in her return to camp, she was occupied dodging a Protestant missionary. She did not like being overwhelmed with that sort of people. His wife had written to say she wished to see a face from the dear homeland. The writer might wear a face from the dear homeland, but it represented very few home-bred sentiments. She was full of prejudices, too, about missionaries. The travellers might have made the return journey from Mosul by going down the Tigris by raft to Baghdad, then by steam-boat to Basra, and so back to England by sea. However, Father Neptune always claimed a heavy toll on the author, so she was rather glad when it was settled that they were to return by the northerly route, though it was the more expensive with their big escort. A Daughter of Japhet Nothing known Wanderings in the Land of Ham [1858] This unknown seventeen years old travelled for eight months from November 1854 with her mother, her invalid eldest brother, an English maid and an Indian manservant. They left Shepherd's Hotel for the Nile boat. It had long been a question whether they should take a maid or not; considering the not very strong health of the party, the mother decided on taking her. The maid took her meals on deck with the dragoman and the brother's servant - and their conversation bored the family extremely. It was impossible to conceive the discomfort she often caused, and yet she was so useful that the young woman did not know what they should have done without her. Fighting went on as a matter of course between the maid and the manservant. At Ekhmim, he jumped ashore. He said he was no longer any man's servant, and that if he was forced to go back he would jump overboard. The mother made a last appeal to his feelings, by reminding him of his wife and family in England, whom he would probably never see again if he persisted in his mad resolution, but it was in vain. One week was passed at Thebes. The young woman was tired out one day, having been out thirteen hours. However, when she reached the boat, instead of eating dinner, she smoked some pipes, and had some coffee in the eastern style, which was infinitely more invigorating than dinner à l'anglaise. The donkeys, unlike everything else in Thebes, were in excellent condition, and as they were burdened with no romantic ideas of ancient grandeur and present desolation, they treated the group to some very spirited canters on the way back. The family left Thebes; a lovely moon was lighting up the plain on which they had spent so many happy hours. A Lady Nothing known Notes on Eastern Travel [1864] This woman was one of a party of five who sailed from Liverpool in February 1863. They went on shore at Alexandria in March. After breakfast they were taken to see Cleopatra's needles: one was completely buried in the sand. It had been given to the British Government. She went to the pyramids. Each lady had three Arabs to help her, one holding each hand, and one pushing behind. Each lady had her dress pinned round, to enable her to step forward freely, and crinolines were not admissible. After a few minutes all feeling of trepidation gave way, for the strong grip of the men gave her complete confidence. At last the top was gained, when they all joined in a hurrah, and were glad to sit down. In April, the unknown woman was asked to join a party - three women and seven men - made up to ascend Vesuvius. Her pony did not seem a very quiet animal, and she had no wish to mount it. Before they had proceeded far, it reared, then kicked up, and threw her off upon her head. One of the gentlemen kindly exchanged his quiet pony for hers. It would be impossible to convey any impression of the desolate, indeed awful appearance, presented by the immense beds of lava. They looked like a fitting entrance to the infernal regions. They then walked. Each lady was assisted by a guide, who passed a long leather strap over his shoulder; a loop at the opposite end had to be grasped by the pedestrian. Most thankful were they to reach the top, and sit down to rest. Agassiz, Elizabeth Cabot b 5 December 1822 in Boston, Mass., daughter of Thomas Graves and Mary [née Perkins] Cary m [as second wife] 1850 Louis Jean Rodolphe Agassiz [28 May 1907- 14 December 1873] A Journey to Brazil [1867] Mr and Mrs Agassiz wrote jointly, based on his scientific reports and her diary. In November 1865 their quiet life at Manaos was interrupted by an excursion to the great cascade. They were called at dawn, and were on the road at six o'clock, the servants following laden with baskets of provisions. The dewy walk through the woods in the early morning was very pleasant. At a little distance from the cascade there was a deep, broad basin in the wood, with a sand bottom. The bathing there was most delicious. Mr Agassiz rejoined them in time for a late dinner, arriving in a canoe instead of going on foot. After a very cheerful dinner, they started at twilight for town, by different roads. Desirous to see the lower course of the Igarapé, which Mr Agassiz reported as so beautiful, and being assured that there was no real danger, Mrs Agassiz returned in the little canoe with Mr Honorio. It was thought best not to overload it, so the others took the forest road by which they had gone in the morning. As Mrs Agassiz went down the rough steps to the landing, in the very pool where they had bathed, it struck her that the undertaking was somewhat perilous. If the overshadowed nook was dark at noonday, it was black at nightfall, and the turbulent little stream, rushing along over rocks and logs, looked mischievous. However, there was only danger enough to laugh at, none to give real concern, and Mrs Agassiz enjoyed the row through the narrow channel, where the trees met overhead, and where the boatmen were obliged to jump into the water to guide the canoe among the boulders and fallen trunks. They reached home in perfect safety, and in time to welcome the others when they arrived on foot. Armstrong, Isabel Julien b 1848 at Hemsworth in Yorkshire, daughter of Mary A Armstrong Two Roving Englishwomen in Greece [1893] Miss Armstrong travelled to Greece in 1892 with her friend Edith Payne. She perhaps was typical of the middle class woman traveller. She believed that a traveller with a good temper and a sense of the ridiculous could get through the Peloponnesus on three words - those for wine, bread and good/beautiful. Patras at dawn was simply exquisite. They held the first two tickets issued by Cook and Son for the new railway line to Olympia; these created quite a sensation. They found that two beds for two people was regarded as quite a luxury. Nature had not endowed Miss Armstrong with a total indifference to performing her toilet in public; nevertheless, she contentedly accepted being a constant source of interest in the various places at which they stayed. Travelling by mule, Miss Armstrong was allotted the smallest and meanest looking beast - but by that time she had advanced a little in the art of using a bridle consisting of a single rope; and had added to her repertoire a single word which an earlier guide had often used with good effect. A visit to the monastery at Hagios Trias involved a long climb up a set of ladders [rather like climbing up the inside of a mill chimney]. The quickest method of proceeding was to seize one's dress between one's teeth, throw oneself well back, and go up hand over hand, taking care not to knock one's teeth out with one's knees. No doubt if they had taken a dragoman with them things would have been arranged to have approximated more closely to their English idea, but they would not have had one quarter of the amusement which they managed to get out of the trip.