All Accessories Included
"It was always my dream
to see Africa. When Beryl Markham wrote, 'it is a photographer's paradise',
I knew I had to somehow capture the fierce wildebeest along with the graceful
Thompson's gazelle."
I've so enjoyed doing the
research and developing the concepts for this series celebrating the dauntless
traveler. I think there must be a bit of wanderlust in all of us, even those
of us who are happiest when warmly ensconced in our comfortable nests.
Summertime seems to be about
travel, and I can't help reflecting on the experiences of travelers from
the past. There have always been those of us who travel reluctantly, with
great timidity and trepidation. In the book, Unsuitable for Ladies, I can't
help identifying with one Eliza Bradley who wrote a journal of her travels
entitled, An Authentic Narrative of the Shipwreck and Sufferings of Mrs.
Eliza Bradley, The Wife of Captain James Bradley of Liverpool, Commander
of the Ship Sally, which was wrecked on the coast of Barbary, In June 1818.
The Crew and Passengers of the Above Ship fell into the Hands of the Arabs,
a few days after their Shipwreck, among whom, unfortunately, was Mrs. Bradley,
who after enduring incredible Hardships during Six Months Captivity (Five
of which she was separated from her Husband, and every other Civilized Being)
she was fortunately Redeemed out of the Hands of the Unmerciful Barbarians,
by Mr. Wilshire, the British Consul, Resident at Mogadore, Written by Herself.
(Yes that IS only the title.) Don't you get the feeling that Mrs. Bradley
did not embrace her experience with a sense of adventure? I wish I had the
quote at hand from Anne Morrow Lindbergh, who likens herself, upon preparing
to travel, to a snail, having to be peeled off a safe rock. I think that
Mrs. Bradley, and myself share a kinship with that snail.
But our Grand Tour collection celebrates those
adventurous souls, like our darling little photographer, who intrepidly
venture into uncharted territory and embrace the world and peoples they
meet along the way. I like the stoic attitude of Mary Kingsley, A Woman's
Trip from the Cape to Cairo, 1907 "I have never hurt a leopard intentionally;
I am habitually kind to animals, and besides I do not think it is ladylike
to go shooting things with a gun. Twice, however, I have been in collision
with them. On one occasion a big leopard had attacked a dog, which, with
her family, was occupying a broken down hut next to mine. The dog was a
half-bred boarhound, and a savage brute on her own account. I, being roused
by the uproar, rushed out into the feeble moonlight, thinking she was having
one of her habitual turn-ups with other dogs, and I saw a whirling mass
of animal matter within a yard of me. I fired two mushroom-shaped native
stools in rapid succession into the brown of it, and the meeting broke up
into a leopard and a dog. The leopard crouched, I think to spring on me.
I can see its great, beautiful, lambent eyes still and I seized an earthen
water-cooler and flung it straight at them. It was a noble shot; it burst
on the leopard's head like a shell and the leopard went for bush one time...
Do not mistake this for a sporting adventure, I no more thought it was a
leopard than that it was a lotus when I joined the fight." It is to
the Mary Kingsleys of the world that I dedicate this year's Grand Tour,
African Safari.
I know there are many of
you, who, like me, can't get enough once you've started delving into a subject.
For you, I have a list for further reading or (in the case of audio books)
listening. These will give you a feel for British East Africa from the colonist's
point of view, a peek into the lives of 19th century travelers and a deeper
look into the intrepid spirit that led adventurers to travel the globe.
Here are some of my favorites:
AUDIO BOOKS
All of these books on tape are by Audio Editions
(for a free catalog, call toll free 800 231-4261). For those of you who
have not yet discovered audio books - you have a treat in store for you.
I spend much of my day, while working alone in my studio, listening to stories,
poetry, plays, and children's books, in addition to storytellers Garrison
Keillor (Lake Wobegon) and Tom Bodett (End of the Road).
·West with the Night by Beryl Markham, read by Julie
Harris
·Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen, read by Julie Harris
·Isak Dinesen, Herself, Telling Two Stories
·Julie Harris in Lucifer's Child, A one-woman play by William Luce,
based on the life and writings if Isak Dinesen.
·Babbette's Feast and Sorrow-Acre by Isak Dinesen, read by Colleen
Dewhurst
BOOKS
·The Lives Of Beryl Markham By Errol Trzebinski, published by W.W.
Norton 1993
·Silence Will Speak: The life of Denys Finch Hatton and his Relationship
with Karen Blixen by Errol Trzebinski, published by Heinemann, London, 1977
·Unsuitable for Ladies: An Anthology of Women Travelers, selected
by Jane Robinson, published by Oxford University Press, 1994
And for a fascinating look
at life in the nineteenth century, I highly recommend:
·What Jane Austin Ate and Charles Dickens Knew by
Daniel Pool, published by Touchstone, New York 1993
So, Happy Traveling, and
equally Happy Reading!
Doll Name
|
Edition
|
# Made
|
Year
|
Status
|
Retail
Price
|
GRAND TOUR
|
|
|
|
|
|
| African Safari |
|
350 |
1995 |
Closed |
$995.00 |
|
