Books with title Women of the World: Women Travelers and Explorers

Adventure and exploration provide some of the most dramatic and exciting stories in history. Most readers know about the "big names" in exploration. The exploits and daring enterprises of Columbus, Magellan, Da Gama, and other men fill our history books and have become synonymous with the discovery and civilization of far areas of the world. But what about the women whose heroic journeys have added to the world's geographic knowledge. Until now, they've had to remain in the shadows of their male counterparts. But author Rebecca Stefoff has collected their fascinating stories in this book, new in paperback, that investigates the lives of women who explored new lands and challenged women's place in the world. They loved travel, not only as a passage to a destination but as an experience with its own meaning and magic. You'll read about Ida Pfeiffer who was a 19th century women with "an insatiable desire to travel" who circled the world--twice, Fanny Bullock Workman, the world's foremost woman mountaineer, an early feminist and one of the most controversial figures in modern geography, and Alexandra David-Neel, the first western woman to enter Lhasa, the Forbidden City of Tibet. Their stories, plus those of five other intrepid women adventurers are beautifully illustrated with rare photographs, maps, and drawings. Also included is an 8-page color insert of explorer Mary Kingley's African discoveries and artifacts, Women of the World follows the facintating byways of wanderlust and anecdote to offer little known chapters in the history of exploration. It's the ideal escape for armchair travellers of all ages.

Women of the World looks at eight women whose heroic journeys added to the world's geographic knowledge: Ida Pfeiffer, an 19th century women with "an insatiable desire to travel" who circled the world--twice, Fanny Bullock Workman, the world's foremost woman moutaineer, an early feminist, and one of the most controversial figures in modern geography, and Alexandra David-Neel, the first western woman to enter Lhasa, the Forbidden City of Tibet.

Follow the fascinating voyages of 18 courageous women who defied convention to follow their dreams and explore the world. From Amelia Earhart to Isabelle Bird, Freya Stark to Laura Dekker, these 18 women broke the rules, took the road less traveled, and went that extra mile to win their own freedom. This beautifully illustrated and information-packed atlas tells their stories, following them across the globe on bike or sailboat, planes and trains, as they pass through Australian deserts, Asian tundra, to the mountaintops, and even into space. Among the daring, audacious voyagers: Jeanne Baret (1740-1807), who disguised herself as a man to circumnavigate the globeIda Pfeiffer (1797-1858), who made friends with cannibals on the island of SumatraIsabella Lucy Bird (1831-1904), a writer who smashed taboos as she climbed mountains and volcanoes, led caravans through the desert, and braved snowstorms on horsebackAnnie Smith Peck (1850-1935), a scholar who climbed the Matterhorn before setting her sights on even loftier peaksJournalist Nellie Bly (1864-1922), who inspired Jules Verne’s famous novel Around the World in 80 DaysAlexandra David Néel (1868-1969), the first European woman to visit the city of Lhasa, in Tibet, which was forbidden to foreignersOsa Johnson (194-1953), a pioneer of documentary film who recorded her adventures in the South Pacific, Borneo, and AfricaLady Hay Drummond-Hay (1895-1946), who flew around the world in a ZeppelinAnn Bancroft (1955 - ), who reached the North and South Poles on footLaura Dekker (1995 - ), who sailed around the world solo at the age of 16

Explorers of the Ancient World tells of the Egyptian expedition to the mysterious land of Punt, the Phoenician Hanno who first sailed around the coast of Africa, and Pytheas the Greek who explored the shores of Britain and may even have reached the Arctic Circle. You will read about why these explorers set out, how they traveled, hazards they encountered on the way, and more. Clear maps and superb reconstructions bring these journeys vividly to life.