The Englishwoman in America

A keenly observed and entertainingly written glimpse into nineteenth-century American society, by a young Englishwoman travelling alone.

Isabella L. Bird (Author)

9781108003841, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 20 July 2009

476 pages
21.6 x 14 x 2.7 cm, 0.6 kg

In 1856, Isabella Bird published The Englishwoman in America, the first of what would be many books of her travels around the world. Adopting a tone of aloof bemusement, she describes in detail the hardships and annoyances of her travels by sea from England to Halifax, and on the road to Boston, Cincinnati, and Chicago. The book's 20 chapters are full of keenly observed and entertainingly told stories of pickpockets and luggage thieves, greasy hotels, and Americans who are very polite, but have the unfortunate habit of spitting on the floor. Bird admits to sharing the regrettably prejudiced view the English have of America, but nevertheless finds much to like and admire in this new country bustling with ethnically diverse immigrants full of energy and bravado. The Englishwoman in America is a wonderful travelogue that offers a lively and personal glimpse into mid-nineteenth-century America.

1. Prefatory and explanatory
2. An inhospitable reception
3. Popular ignorance
4. From St George's cross to the stars and stripes
5. First experiences of American freedom
6. A suspected bill
7. The Queen City continued
8. The hickory stick
9. A vexatious incident
10. The Place of Council
11. 'I've seen nothing'
12. A scene at starting
13. The House of Commons
14. Concluding remarks on Canada
15. Preliminary remarks on re-entering the United States
16. Position of New York
17. The cemetery
18. Origin of the constitution
19. General remarks continued
20. The America.

Subject Areas: History of the Americas [HBJK]