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A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains (1879) is a work of travel
literature by British explorer Isabella Bird. Adventurous from a
young age, Bird gained a reputation as a writer and photographer
interested in nature and the stories and cultures of people around
the world. A bestselling author and the first woman inducted into
the Royal Geographical Society, Bird is recognized today as a
pioneering woman whose contributions to travel writing,
exploration, and philanthropy are immeasurable. In 1872-after a
year of sailing from Britain to Australia and Hawaii-Isabella Bird
journeyed by boat to San Francisco before making her way over land
through California and Wyoming to the Colorado Territory. There,
she befriended an outdoorsman named Rocky Mountain Jim, who guided
her throughout the vast wilderness of Colorado and accompanied her
during a journey of over 800 miles. Traveling on foot and on
horseback-Bird was an experienced and skillful rider-the two formed
a curious but formidable pair, eventually reaching the 14,259 foot
(4346 m) summit of Longs Peak, making Bird one of the first women
to accomplish the feat. A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains,
Bird's most iconic work, was a bestseller upon publication, and has
since inspired generations of readers. With a beautifully designed
cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of
Isabella Bird's A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains is a classic
of American literature and travel writing reimagined for modern
readers.
A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains (1879) is a work of travel
literature by British explorer Isabella Bird. Adventurous from a
young age, Bird gained a reputation as a writer and photographer
interested in nature and the stories and cultures of people around
the world. A bestselling author and the first woman inducted into
the Royal Geographical Society, Bird is recognized today as a
pioneering woman whose contributions to travel writing,
exploration, and philanthropy are immeasurable. In 1872—after a
year of sailing from Britain to Australia and Hawaii—Isabella
Bird journeyed by boat to San Francisco before making her way over
land through California and Wyoming to the Colorado Territory.
There, she befriended an outdoorsman named Rocky Mountain Jim, who
guided her throughout the vast wilderness of Colorado and
accompanied her during a journey of over 800 miles. Traveling on
foot and on horseback—Bird was an experienced and skillful
rider—the two formed a curious but formidable pair, eventually
reaching the 14,259 foot (4346 m) summit of Longs Peak, making Bird
one of the first women to accomplish the feat. A Lady's Life in the
Rocky Mountains, Bird’s most iconic work, was a bestseller upon
publication, and has since inspired generations of readers. With a
beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript,
this edition of Isabella Bird’s A Lady’s Life in the Rocky
Mountains is a classic of American literature and travel writing
reimagined for modern readers.
Born in 1831, Isabella, daughter of a clergyman, set off alone to
the Antipodes in 1872 'in search of health' and found she had
embarked on a life of adventurous travel. In 1873, wearing Hawaiian
riding dress, she rode on her spirited horse Birdie through the
American 'Wild West', a terrain only recently opened to pioneer
settlement. Here she met Rocky Mountain Jim, her 'dear (one-eyed)
desperado', fond of poetry and whisky - 'a man any women might
love, but no sane woman would marry'. He helped her climb the
'American Matterhorn' and round up cattle on horseback. The
wonderful letters which make up this volume were first published in
1879 and were enormously popular in Isabella Bird's lifetime. They
tell of magnificent unspoilt landscapes and abundant wildlife, of
small remote townships, of her encounters with rattlesnakes,
wolves, pumas and grizzly bears and her reactions to the volatile
passions of the miners and pioneer settlers.
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