A Thousand Miles Up the Nile

Book excerpt: As enthralling as any work of fiction, A Thousand Miles up the Nile is the quintessential Victorian travel book. In 1873, Amelia B. Edwards, an upper-class Victorian spinster, spent the winter visiting the then largely unspoiled splendors of ancient Egypt. An accurate and sympathetic observer, she brings nineteenth-century Egypt to life. A Thousand Miles up the Nile was an instant hit in 1876, and is received with equal enthusiasm by modern readers. Fans of Elizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabody Emerson series will see similarities between the two Amelias. More importantly, A Thousand Miles up the Nile provides a wealth of background information and detail that will increase the reader’s understanding and enjoyment of Peters’ novels. This Norton Creek Press edition of A Thousand Miles up the Nile is a reproduction of the illustrated 1890 edition by Routledge and Sons. Look for more of Edwards’ works from Norton Creek Press.