An intrepid lady traveller: Amelia Edwards ventures A Thousand Miles up the Nile in 1873.

Towards the end of the 19th century, when wives were regarded as the property of their husbands and not expected to have a university education or an independent career, several remarkable women emerged as influential in the field of Egyptology. These redoubtable ladies had to be of independent means, but they also needed to be adventurous and open to new experiences. Perhaps most prominent among them was Amelia Edwards. She was already a published novelist when she and a friend visited Egypt in 1873, so was naturally inclined to record their adventures in writing. Her very detailed account A Thousand Miles up the Nile presents a vivid picture of the Egypt of the day, and introduced the publ