The Yangtze Valley and Beyond - Isabella Bird - Folio Society - 2018 1st ed.
$ 54.91
Description
The Yangtze Valley and Beyond - Isabella Bird - Folio Society - 2018 1st ed.. The Yangtze Valley and Beyond by Isabella Bird. Introduced by Dervla Murphy. Bound in printed and image blocked blue cloth. 107 duotone photographs and 4 mono drawings. Fold-out map in corner pocket. The Yangtze Valley and Beyond by Isabella Bird. Introduced by Dervla Murphy. Bound in printed and image blocked blue cloth. 107 duotone photographs and 4 mono drawings. Fold-out map in corner pocket. Caligraphy blocked red slipcase. 448pp. 11x7¼in. Fine edition Isabella Bird was the most remarkable female traveller of the 19th century, and her subsequent travel books have become classics of the genre. Famed for extraordinary journeys which would be impressive even by today’s standards, her expeditions culminated, aged 65, in her seven-month solo exploration along the Yangtze river in China in 1896. Journeying from Shanghai to Somo, Bird completed much of the expedition in a traditional junk, sharing the same hardships that beset her hired crew: hunger, cold and loneliness. Her no-holds-barred account of this ground-breaking voyage remains unsurpassed to this day. Following just 30 years after the end of the Second Opium War and the opening of China’s ports by British forces, foreign visitors were certainly not always welcome. Frequently verbally and physically attacked, Bird writes freely of the fear she experienced and recounts an incident when she was chased by two thousand angry, stick-wielding locals crying ‘Beat her! Kill her! Burn her!’ Another occasion saw her sitting astride a stool in her room, armed with a pistol that she was fully prepared to use for self-preservation; but Bird was also at times welcomed and treated without suspicion, able to provide stunning depictions of towering mountains and vast rivers, tranquil villages and ornate palaces. Bird was elected to the Royal Photographic Society in 1897 and this book was published two years later, offering one of the earliest photojournalistic accounts of China at the end of the nineteenth century. From the traditional dress of soldiers and labourers, to the hospitals, villages, guesthouses and temples visited along the route, the images provide a valuable record of China on the cusp of change and under pressure from foreign influence. Please look closely at the photos as they are part of the description. Will wrap and pack very carefully. Will post worldwide. Any questions please ask. In the unlikely event you do encounter a problem, please do message me first to resolve it, and I will do my best to help. All the books are stored in our smoke-free, climate-controlled shop in Cullman, Alabama.
