Encyclopedia of Women's Travel and Exploration:

Rating:
Summary: Informative tribute to female adventurers
Review: "The Encyclopedia of Women's Travel and Exploration," by Patricia D. Netzley, packs a lot of information into more than 250 pages. The bulk of the book consists of alphabetically arranged short articles. Also included are a bibliography and index.

The entries themselves fall into a number of categories: general subjects (Accommodations, Clothing, Culture Shock, Military Service, etc.); places both general and specific (Africa, Asia, Mount Everest, etc.); important books in the field of women's travel; types of female travelers (Missionaries, Pilgrims, Pirates, Queens, Spies, etc.). There is an assortment of other articles on various interesting subjects (Mountaineering, the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A., the Iditarod Dog Sled Race, etc.).

There are also many entries devoted to individual travelers and explorers. It's truly a multicultural and international gathering of women: Clara Barton (a Red Cross leader), Nellie Bly (journalist), Susan Butcher (American dogsledder), Hsi Kai Ching Yih (19th century pirate of China), Jane Goodall (pioneer in chimpanzee research), Zora Neale Hurston (African-American anthropologist and writer), Margery Kempe (religious pilgrim of the Middle Ages), Junko Tabei (Japanese mountaineer), Edith Wharton (American writer), and many, many, more.

It is fascinating to read of the lives of these women and learn of the huge diversity of reasons that led them to travel or explore. Netzley incorporates bibliographic references into the entries, so interested individuals have starting points for further reading. The book also includes a wealth of black-and-white photos of various women profiled in the book. Overall, this is an informative and enjoyable reference work that celebrates the courage, skills, and passion of generations of bold women.