A volume in which rich and unexpected seams of precious materials await discovery' - The Guardian

Some of the extraordinary women whose writings are including in this collection are observers of the world in which they wander; their prose rich in description, remarkable in detail. Mary McCarthy conveys the vitality of Florence while Willa Cather's essay on Lavandou foreshadows her descriptions of the French countryside in later novels. Others are more active participants in the culture they are visiting, such as Leila Philip, as she harvests rice with chiding Japanese women, or Emily Carr, as she wins the respect and trust of the female chieftain of an Indian village in Northern Canada. Whether it is curiosity about the world, a thirst for adventure or escape from personal tragedy, all of these women are united in that they approached their journeys with wit, intelligence, compassion and empathy for the lives of those they encountered along the way.

Features writing from Gertrude Bell, Edith Wharton, Isabella Bird, Kate O'Brien, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu and many others.

"This classic celebrates 300 years of female wanderlust and the theme of escape - whether the women are running away or towards something. With writing by 47 intrepid travellers including Mary Wollstonecraft on Scandinavia, Edith Wharton on Marrakech and Willa Cather on Le Lavandou, it's a meditation on the eternal allure of travel " - BA High Life

"A truly wonderful gift book for all armchair travellers ... 300 years of wanderlust are captured by women who travelled the world." - BOOKS

"Attractive and engrossing anthology of women's travel writing" - INDEPENDENT

"A terrific anthology of women as warm in all corners of "abroad"" - SCOTSMAN

"The 47 authors have been responsible for some of the very best in travel writing, the results of some extraordinary journeys. Many have become classics." - SUNDAY TIMES