Why read A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains?

Book cover of A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains

Book description

A cosmopolitan, middle-aged Englishwoman touring the Rocky Mountains in 1873, Isabella Bird had embarked upon a trip that called for as much stamina as would have been expected of an explorer or anthropologist — and she was neither! Possessing a prodigious amount of curiosity and a huge appetite for traveling,…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Silvia Pettem

Author

Many years ago, when I first moved to a small cabin in the Rocky Mountains, a friend gave me a copy of A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains and inscribed it to "one of the bravest mountain ladies I know."

I relished the book and learned a lot about the history of my new home through the eyes of an English woman who, in 1873, traveled alone and on horseback, to places I now know and love. Instead of fading into the past, Isabella Bird pulled herself out of the shadows. I even named my cat after her.

From Silvia's list on The best books on mysterious and intriguing women in history.

Merri Melde

Author

When I find myself thinking, “I can't do that,” I think of Isabella Bird, living a brave and intrepid solo life on horseback in the 1870s, long before it was considered an acceptable thing for women to do.

I can imagine the extraordinary bond she had with her mare, Birdie, and the extreme confidence she had in herself, as she shared trails with hunters and trappers, miners and ranchers, enjoying and appreciating nature, the wildlife, and the wild lands. She must have felt so free and self-assured.

Her humorous and astute observation of the colorful characters paint a picture of…

From Merri's list on The best horse adventure books from a world-traveling Endurance horse rider.