Three hundred years of wanderlust are captured here by women who travelled the world. 

The extraordinary women whose writings are included in this remarkable collection—Gertrude Bell, Edith Wharton, Isabella Bird, Kate O'Brien, and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu among others—are all observers of the world in which they wander. Mary McCarthy conveys the vitality of Florence while Willa Cather's essay on Lavandou foreshadows her descriptions of the French countryside in later novels. Others are more active participants in the culture they are visiting, such as Leila Philip who harvests rice with Japanese women or Isabella Bird who fell in love with the Rocky Mountain Jim. 

Whether it is curiosity about the world, a thirst for adventure, or a need for escape from personal tragedy, all of the authors are united by their wit, intelligence, compassion, and the empathy they hold for the lives of those they encounter along the way.