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Books . Change . Lives .
Copyright 2021 by Jayne Zanglein
Cover and internal design 2021 by Sourcebooks
Cover design by Sarah Brody
Cover images Miss Annie S. Peck full-length portrait, photograph by Chickering Photo, from New York Herald Syndicate, New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-118273; Bettmann/Getty Images; Wildlife Conservation Society, reproduced by permission of the WCS Archives, Gloria Hollister 1006; Anna Heyward Taylor (1879-1956), 1903, by William Merritt Chase (American, 1849-1916), 1937.003.0001, image courtesy of the Gibbes Museum of Art/Carolina Art Association
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To my mom and my husband, Steve: for your steadfast belief that I could bring the stories of these unsung heroes to life
From the days of the mythical Argonauts until relatively recent times, the business of discovery and exploration, whether legendary or real, inevitably featured an all-male cast. Women stayed at home, awaiting the adventurers return, presumably stitching away on some interminable tapestry, in the tradition of that stoic image of patient resignation, Penelope. But in the twentieth century, the situation began to change. Women freed themselves from their Victorian upbringing to organize and lead expeditions of their own, asserting themselves as serious experts. While almost forgotten today, they were far from ignored in their time. With the passage of time, however, the names and contributions tended to sink from sight, their achievements questioned or minimized. The essence of this era found a voice in 1925 in the creation of the International Society of Woman Geographers by many of these brilliant women. They sought intellectual companionship in a period when their global assaults were still regarded as decided aberrations from the norm. The trailblazing adventures of these women remain unique, and their contributions deserve reinstatement in the history of American explorers.
ELIZABETH FAGG OLDS
My shock lies in the fact that theres so much inspiration to be drawn from real-life history that I dont understand how, after so many years, theres still a lack of tales about daring, gutsy, even reckless women. Yes, reckless! Why not? Show them being reckless! Im not suggesting that theyre perfect. Im suggesting that theyre interesting and that cinemas and libraries everywhere are missing out on spell-binding characters and, more importantly, on their ability as characters to inspire in young girls the realisation that life is for living, risks, mistakes and adrenalin-inducing bravery included.
KAYA PURCHASE
Illustration 1. Map from the New York Section of the Society of Woman Geographers, ca. 1932
CONTENTS
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Society of Woman Geographers Founders and First President
Illustration 2.1. Marguerite Harrison, ca. 1921
Illustration 2.2. Blair [Beebe] Niles, 1910
Illustration 2.3. Gertrude Emerson [Sen], 1921
Illustration 2.4. Gertrude Mathews [Shelby], 1922
Illustration 2.5. Harriet Chalmers Adams, 1918
Featured Early Members of the Society
Illustration 2.6. Te Ata, 1920
Illustration 2.7. Mary Ritter Beard, 1915
Illustration 2.8. Amelia Earhart, 1928
Illustration 2.9. Malvina Hoffman, 1928
Illustration 2.10. Gloria Hollister, ca. 1930
Illustration 2.11. Osa Johnson, 1917
Illustration 2.12. Ellen La Motte, 1902
Illustration 2.13. Margaret Mead, ca. 1930