Leo Hamalian has gathered the narratives of 17 18th and 19th Century Western Women as they traveled different parts of the globe - Europe, the Middle East, the Far East and Africa. Women like Mary Wollstonecraft as she discovered sauna baths in Finland, Margaret Fuller as she reported on a rebellion against the Pope in Rome, Isabella Bird as she discovered the little-known Ainu culture of Japan, and Mary Kingsley as she traveled through West Africa collecting specimens of fish, observing the flora and fauna, observing the peoples, and experiencing harrowing encounters with crocodiles, hippopotami, and leopards.

This is exactly the kind of travel writing that appeals to me. I am moved and inspired by the courageous, independent women who pushed back the restraints of societal boundaries, and I am awed by the reminder of a time when the world was so huge, thrilling, exotic so full of wonder, and yet so harsh and dangerous.

I LOVED this book so much! I have a couple of similar titles, and I'm going to be happily delving into them next! ( )