Barbara Hodgson traces three hundred years of world travel by both the celebrated and the unknown women who endured exotic diseases, scorching heat, bed bugs, destructive thunderstorms, plagues of scorpions and many other life-threatening situations -- all in the name of adventure. From Lady Ann Fanshawe, who disguised herself as a cabin boy to confront a band of Spanish pirates, to Isabella Bird, who traversed the muddy trails of Japan by horseback despite severe back pain, the women profiled in these pages sacrificed personal comfort and respectability to pursue exotic experiences that had traditionally been open only to men. Filled with fascinating portraits, historical maps and intricate drawings, No Place for a Lady is at once a beautifully illustrated exploration of early travel and a spirited celebration of the women who dared to redefine the proper place for a lady.

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Barbara Hodgson is a book designer and writer. In addition to her three novels, The Tattooed Map, The Sensualist and Hippolyte's Island, she is the co-author of Paris Out of Hand, and Italy Out of Hand. Her non-fiction works include The Rat: A Perverse Miscellany, Opium: A Portrait of the Heavenly Demon and In the Arms of Morpheus: The Tragic History of Laudanum, Morphine and Patent Medicines. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

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