Written by the adventurous and widely travelled Lady Mary Anne Barker (1831 1911), this 1870 publication records 'the expeditions, adventures, and emergencies diversifying the daily life of the wife of a New Zealand sheep farmer'. Born in Jamaica and educated in England and France, Barker married her second husband in 1865 and spent the next three years living on his sheep station on the South Island. This book is based on letters written to Barker's younger sister, beginning with an account of her two-month voyage to Melbourne and her onward journey via Nelson and Wellington to Christchurch....

First published in 1877, this book is one of several colonial memoirs by the successful writer and journalist Lady Mary Anne Barker (1831 1911). Born in Jamaica and educated in England and France, Lady Barker spent periods living in New Zealand, South Africa, Mauritius, Trinidad, and Western Australia following the career and colonial service appointments of her second husband, Frederick Broome. She arrived in Natal in 1875 and lived there for three years while Broome was Colonial Secretary. This book, presented in the form of letters, vividly describes the family's experiences and domestic...

First published in 1806, and revised and edited by her son for this 1845 sixth edition, this collection of letters by Anne Grant (1755 1838) tells her story of thirty years' residence in the Scottish Highlands. Described by the author as 'sketches of a life spent in the most remote obscurity', it was one of the first works to acquaint the public with the romantic scenery of the Highlands. Her lyrical descriptions of the landscape and characters of the rural parish of Laggan caught the imagination of a generation captivated by the poetry of Scott and Burns. Volume 1 begins with Anne McVicar's...

First published in 1806, and revised and edited by her son for this 1845 sixth edition, this collection of letters by Anne Grant (1755 1838) tells her story of thirty years' residence in the Scottish Highlands. Described by the author as 'sketches of a life spent in the most remote obscurity', it was one of the first works to acquaint the public with the romantic scenery of the Highlands. Anne Grant's lyrical descriptions of the landscape and characters of the rural parish of Laggan caught the imagination of a generation captivated by the poetry of Scott and Burns. Volume 2 includes engaging...

The Victorian printer Emily Faithfull (1835 95) published Three Visits in 1884. The work is an account of her American lecture tours that took place in 1872 3, 1882 3 and 1884. Faithfull, a controversial and independently minded figure, campaigned for the employment and education rights of women. In 1860, Faithfull set up a printing establishment for women, the Victoria Press, where, despite fierce resistance from the printing trade, she employed and trained women as compositors. In 1862, she was made Printer and Publisher in Ordinary to Queen Victoria. Faithfull, a talented speaker, lectured...

Published in 1824, the journal of Maria Graham (1785 1842) depicts one woman's immersion in the culture and society of post-independence Chile. Graham, known later as Lady Callcott, travelled through India and Europe as well as South America, and her writings and reflections on these regions and their cultures, as well as other historical works, established her reputation both as a writer and later as an art historian. Graham outlines the parameters of her work in her preface and her historical Introduction: she is interested not only in what has happened to the Chileans, but in what the...

The Scots novelist and historical writer Margaret Oliphant (1828 97) wrote over a hundred works ranging from domestic fiction, to historical and regional novels, to literary criticism. She remains famous for the 'Chronicles of Carlingford', which sketch the religious and domestic politics of a provincial community, and in particular for the most popular novel in the cycle, Miss Marjoribanks (1866). Published posthumously in 1899, Oliphant's autobiography brings together fragments written in 1860, 1864, and towards the end of her life, originally written for her sons. These texts were edited...

Margaret Bryan (c.1760 1816) taught natural science to women at a time when it was largely the preserve of men. She ran a boarding school for girls in Blackheath, London, from 1795 to 1806, and the curriculum included mathematics and sciences rarely offered to young women. She published her lecture notes on astronomy in 1797, and after their positive reception she decided to undertake another volume of lectures. This resulting work, published in 1806, is a collection of Bryan's lectures on 'natural philosophy', containing thirteen chapters on topics such as mechanics, pneumatics and...

Edith Simcox (1844 1901) was a prominent British feminist, social critic and prolific writer. She published many articles and essays advocating support for women's right to education, improved working conditions and suffrage. Her scholarly works in philosophy and economic history sought to demonstrate that contemporary capitalism was not the only route to a prosperous society. Her articles appeared in many periodicals and among her books are Natural Law (1877) and the two-volume Primitive Civilizations (1894), both also reissued in this series. Simcox was an admirer and friend of the novelist...

First published in 1852, and in its third edition by 1854, this description of pioneer immigrant life in Canada by Susanna Moodie (1803 85) is unsentimental and frank. In contrast to similar works, which often seem to be advertisements aimed at potential immigrants, Moodie's book emphasises not only the triumphs but also the tribulations as she and her family begin their new lives. Initially criticised in Canada for painting an unflattering picture of the country, it was later recognised as a key work of early Canadian literature, and has influenced writers up to the present day. In Volume 2...