Mary Kingsley
1862-1900
Mary Kingsley led a secluded life in England until she was about
30 years old,
when she suddenly decided to go to West Africa to study African religion
and law. She
made numerous visits through West Africa and wrote several books on
her experiences there. Her books describing her journeys went a long way toward
shaping western perceptions of Africa.
Impressively, she traveled on her own, in full
Victorian dress
If you sit down and read her books, you might actually find them to be
more open-minded than you'd expect from a Victorian spinster.
Adventurers
