1892 On Sledge and Horseback to the Outcast Siberian Lepers

Description

Early Edition, Illustrated

Second edition. With two double-page facsimile letters to the front, detailing Queen Victoria's interest in the works of Marsden. Illustrated throughout with twenty-five plates, including a full-page map. Kate Marsden (1859 – 1931) was a battle-hardened nurse who had cared for the wounded during the war between Russia and Turkey in 1878. Yet even those wartime experiences had not prepared her for the grueling equestrian journey she undertook in 1891. Having learned of the horrific conditions under which Russian lepers were forced to live, the resolute nurse sought out the imperial assistance of England’s Queen Victoria, as well as the Empress of Russia, then set off to ride thousands of miles across the wilds of Siberia. The nurse, turned equestrian explorer, was intent on bringing medical relief to Russia’s forgotten wounded, as well as finding a herb which was allegedly a cure for leprosy. After having completed one of the most difficult equestrian journeys of the late 19th century, Marsden returned to England where the intrepid Long Rider became one of the first women to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. (LRG)