The Yangtze Valley and Beyond

Isabella Bird (1831-1904) (married name Bishop), an English explorer, writer, and photographer was probably one of the most famous of all 19th century women travelers. Her trips took her to Australia, Hawaii, Colorado, India, Ladakh, Persia, Kurdistan, Turkey, and Morocco. On her last great trip in 1897 at the age of sixty-six, she traveled to China where she journeyed along the Yangtze River from Shanghai, visiting among other places, Hangzhou, Yichang, Wan Hsien, and Nanjing. Her book is based on her letters, diary notes, and her photographs. While much of Bird’s narrative focuses on the social and cultural aspects of the places she visited, the text and her photographs also document a wide variety of vernacular and religious architecture, much of it now vanished. This is a first edition copy with the original green cloth, designs, and top edge gilt. It was published by John Murrary, her lifelong publisher and one of her closest friends.