Ida Pfeiffer

A Woman's Journey Round the World (Dodo Press) Ida Pfeiffer

Ida Laura Pfeiffer, nee Reyer (1797-1858), was an Austrian traveller and travel book author. She was one of the first female explorers, whose popular books were translated into seven languages. She was a member of geographical societies of both Berlin and Paris, but not of Royal Geographical Society in London due to her sex. In 1842 she travelled along the Danube river to the Black Sea and Istanbul. From there she continued to Palestine and Egypt before returning home via Italy. She published an account of her journey in Reise einer Wienerin in das Heilige Land (Vienna, 1843); money earned from this publication allowed her to pursue more extended explorations in the future. In 1845 she set out to Scandinavia and Iceland, describing her tour in two volumes, Reise Nach Dein Skandinavischen Norden und der Insel Island (Pest, 1846). In 1846 she started on a journey round the world, visiting Brazil, Chile and other countries of South America, Tahiti, China, India, Persia, Asia Minor and Greece, and reaching home in 1848. The results were published in Eine Frau Fährt um die Welt (Vienna, 1850).