Saturday marks the 150th birthday of a fascinating Victorian woman, Mary Kingsley. Her father, George Henry Kingsley, was a physician and world traveler. Young Mary led a rather secluded life, but had free access to her father’s library of travel and scientific books. She made her first trip abroad when she was in her 20s, …
Can’t get away this summer? Armchair travel is a cheap alternative to a vacation, and the library abounds in books by travelers and explorers to points around the globe, from the South Pacific to the North Pole. Special Collections contains numerous rare and important accounts of early travel and exploration, including the voyages of Captain …
With the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the world’s eyes have turned toward China with a renewed interest in that country’s culture, politics, landscape, and peoples. China has been an object of fascination for Westerners for centuries, especially during the Early Modern period, when European explorers, merchants, and missionaries established relations with the Chinese. As the two …