A Thousand Miles up the Nile (Paperback) - Amelia B. Edwards

"This is the most important of my books, and the one by which I most hope to be remembered - if I may hope to be remembered at all!" Amelia B Edwards, 1877. A chance visit to Egypt in 1873 by Amelia Edwards changed the future of British Egyptology forever. Her travelogue, A Thousand Miles up the Nile, would inspire generations to take up her cause to support and promote Egyptian cultural heritage. This modern reprint is accompanied by a new introduction by Carl Graves (the Egypt Exploration Society) and Anna Garnett (The Petrie Museum, UCL) reflecting on Amelia's life and its legacy in Egyptology today. The original text is complimented by colour images of Amelia's artwork made during or shortly after her travels, which have only previously been reproduced as black and white engravings. This is no ordinary reprint, but an essential companion to the best-seller.

About the Author

Amelia B Edwards (1831-1892) is an enigmatic character of the Victorian period. She was highly skilled as a novelist, musician, and artist but her life took an unexpected turn when she visited Egypt in 1873. For the remainder of her life she campaigned for the exploration of Egyptian sites and monuments and for them to be recorded for future generations. Her journey in Egypt was published as a travelogue, A Thousand Miles up the Nile, and generated interest in Egyptian heritage among the British public. From these beginnings, Amelia founded the Egypt Exploration Society and, on her death, endowed the first professorship for Egyptology in England. Today, her legacy is controversial. While she is respected as a pioneer of British Egyptology, she is also criticised for her support in distributing Egyptian artefacts out of Egypt, and for the orientalising and racist language used in her narratives.