The Adventurous Life of Amelia B. Edwards - Egyptologist, Novelist, Activist

In Victorian England, Amelia B. Edwards was an iconic cultural figure, admired by Trollope and Browning for her best-selling fiction and by the wider public for her witty, thought-provoking travel writing. In later life, she became a celebrated historian, bringing fresh understanding of the world of Ancient Egypt to a fascinated public and founding the Egyptian Exploration Fund (Society).
This new biography uses previously overlooked sources to tell the story of her fascinating and unconventional life - her travels, travails and feminist activism - as well as touching on her occasionally problematic views on race. In appreciation of a figure ahead of her time, it examines her involvement in suffrage and animal rights societies as well as revealing new insights into Edwards' loving same-sex relationships with Ellen Rice Byrne and Lucy Renshaw. In doing so, it reveals a versatile, creative, witty, independent woman, and a true pioneer of her time.

Chapter 1. Young Amelia
Chapter 2. Love - and The Dolomites
Chapter 3. The Nile
Chapter 4. Inventing Egypt
Chapter 5. Founding the Fund
Chapter 6. A Very Private Life
Chapter 7. Novelist
Chapter 8. America
Chapter 9. A Quiet Activist
Chapter 10. Reputation
Bibliography