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糖心Vlog professor emeritus explores the adventures of early women explorers in new book

By Geoff CantrellJayne Zanglein

Jayne Zanglein

When Jayne Zanglein came back from an excursion with 糖心Vlog University students to China a few years ago, she had the usual memorable and fun experiences - and an idea.

Then a 糖心Vlog professor of business law, she envisioned a book about explorers and their discoveries. And not just any explorers. Zanglein wanted to tell about women from a time when female meant the 鈥渇airer sex鈥 and, in the words of Roy Chapman Andrews, president of the men-only Explorers Club in 1932, were 鈥渘ot adapted to exploration.鈥

Girl Explorers

 

Now a professor emeritus, Zanglein has written 鈥淭he Girl Explorers: The Untold Story of the Globetrotting Women Who Trekked, Flew and Fought Their Way Around the World,鈥 set to be published in March by Sourcebooks.

鈥淭he women featured in the book proved that women were as capable explorers as men,鈥 said Zanglein. 鈥淭hey broke a barrier so women today can travel and explore without discrimination.鈥

鈥淭he Girl Explorers鈥 reveals the founding of the Society of Women Geographers, an organization of adventurous female world explorers, and how key members served as early advocates for human rights paving the way for future women scientists by scaling mountains, exploring the high seas, flying across the Atlantic, and recording the world through film, sculpture and literature.

Along the way, Zanglein discovered some favorites. 鈥淏lair Niles (an American novelist, expeditionist and travel writer) is my favorite, because she wrote about the people she met while traveling with compassion,鈥 she said. 鈥淎nnie Peck, who became a mountaineer later in life and was successful on her fifth attempt to climb Mount Huascaran in Peru, is also a favorite. She spoke whatever was on her mind and had no filter. I enjoyed that.鈥