Golden Chersonese and the way tither

This book essentially consists of the letters to her sister Henrietta, from Isabella L. Bird during her travels in the Malay Peninsula in the early 1880s. Despite the ill health of her youth; something that sporadically arose primarily when she was not travelling, Bird became the most famed of nineteenth century female travel writers and this culminated a decade later in her becoming the first woman to be inducted into the Royal Geographical Society.
Here she provides us with a charming personal narrative of her travels and adventures in what was then a region scarcely visited by European travellers, let alone a single lady. Being the bearer of official letters of accreditation, she was welcomed by officials throughout the territory and these enabled her to gain a fascinating insight into the people, language and culture of these islands. Coming from Japan she describes her visits to, amongst other places, Hong Kong, Canton, Singapore, Malacca and Perak very much in her characteristic ‘through her own eyes’ style.
An extensive account that must be read by anyone interested in this period and these places.