No Country For a Woman: The Adventurous Life of Lady Dorothy Mills, Explorer and Writer

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Jane Dismore

No Country For a Woman

The Adventurous Life of Lady Dorothy Mills, Explorer and Writer

Jane Dismore

$54.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

The History Press Ltd
01 June 2025

Biography; Biography: general; 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000; Gender studies: women; Geographical discovery & exploration; Expeditions

Travel around the world with Lady Dorothy Mills in a globe-trotting story of cannibals and cocktails, from the Jazz Age to Timbuktu.

Lady Dorothy 'Dolly' Mills was a petite figure with a big personality, born in 1889 into the political and literary Walpole family. When she married a clever but poor army captain, her father disinherited her. Defying her background and the expectations of her sex, she became a renowned explorer in West Africa - she was the first English woman in Timbuktu - and beyond, travelling deep into Venezeuela and Central Asia where only men had gone before.

Dolly wrote acclaimed travel books illuminating remote places and peoples and describing history in the making. By the 1930s she was the best-known female explorer of the day, appearing on platforms and in books with prominent men. She was elected an early female Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society, and on her death in 1959 left a bequest for women explorers.

A feminist with unorthodox views which cost her her marriage, Dolly also wrote bold novels and incisive features for women. Despite life-changing challenges, she never lost her love of donning a glamorous frock and downing a cocktail.

AUTHOR: Jane Dismore is a biographer and history writer. Her books include Tangled Souls: Love and Scandal among the Victorian Aristocracy; Princess: The Early Life of Queen Elizabeth II (a source for the ITV and PBS documentary Our Queen at War); and Duchesses: Living in 21st Century Britain, the first book to examine the lives of today's non-royal duchesses. She writes features for a wide range of publications and has appeared on television, radio and in podcasts. Jane is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a member of the Society of Authors, the Biographers' Club and the Biographers International Organisation. A former teacher and practising solicitor, she lives in Hertfordshire.

35 b/w illustrations

By: Jane Dismore
Imprint: The History Press Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9781803996141
ISBN 10: 1803996145
Publication Date: 01 June 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Jane Dismore is a biographer and history writer. Her books include Tangled Souls: Love and Scandal among the Victorian Aristocracy; Princess: The Early Life of Queen Elizabeth II (a source for the ITV and PBS documentary Our Queen at War); and Duchesses: Living in 21st Century Britain, the first book to examine the lives of today’s non-royal duchesses. She writes features for a wide range of publications and has appeared on television, radio and in podcasts. Jane is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a member of the Society of Authors, the Biographers’ Club and the Biographers International Organisation. A former teacher and practising solicitor, she lives in Hertfordshire.

Reviews for No Country For a Woman: The Adventurous Life of Lady Dorothy Mills, Explorer and Writer

'A fascinating and well-researched biography of a fearless woman, it combines history, adventure and romance. I loved it.' - LADY ANTONIA FRASER Book of the Month in Geographical magazine: 'Dismore takes the reader on a deeply-researched journey along Dolly's globe-hopping ventures.' 'Lady Dorothy Mills trailblazed her own path as a explorer becoming the first English women in Timbuktu as well as travelling deep into Venezuela and Central Asia.' * Daily Mirror * 'Mills was a pioneer, and those of us who have followed stand on her shoulders. It is hard not to like the figure who emerges from these entertaining pages.' * The Spectator *