Queen of the Mountaineers: The Trailblazing Life of Fanny Bullock Workman

By Cathryn J. Prince

Fanny Bullock Workman was a complicated and restless woman who defied the rigid Victorian morals she found as restrictive as a corset. With her frizzy brown hair tucked under a topee, Workman was a force on the mountain and off. Instrumental in breaking the British stranglehold on Himalayan mountain climbing, this American woman climbed more peaks than any of her peers, became the first woman to map the far reaches of the Himalayas, the first woman to lecture at the Sorbonne and the second to address the Royal Geographic Society of London, whose members included Charles Darwin, Richard Francis Burton, and David Livingstone. Her books, replete with photographs, illustrations and descriptions of meteorological conditions, glaciology and the effect of high altitudes on humans, remained useful decades after their publication. Paving the way for a legion of female climbers, her legacy lives on in scholarship prizes at Wellesley, Smith, Radcliffe and Bryn Mawr. Author and journalist Cathryn J. Prince brings Fanny Bullock Workman to life and deftly shows how she negotiated the male-dominated world of alpine clubs and adventure societies as nimbly as she negotiated the deep crevasses and icy granite walls of the Himalayas. It's the story of the role one woman played in science and exploration, in breaking boundaries and frontiers for women everywhere.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chicago Review Press
• Release date: May 7, 2019
• ISBN: 9781613739563

Cathryn J. Prince

Cathryn J. Prince is the author of A Professor, a President, and a Meteor: The Birth of American Science, for which she won the Connecticut Press Club's 2011 Book Award for non-fiction. She is also the author of Burn the Town and Sack the Banks: Confederates Attack Vermont! and Shot from the Sky: American POWs in Switzerland. She worked as a correspondent for The Christian Science Monitor in Switzerland and in New York, where she covered the United Nations. Prince covers the Connecticut State House for Patch.com.

Reviews for Queen of the Mountaineers

[ranson_larry · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed the story of this mountain climber who happened to be a woman. I enjoyed seeing how a successful woman from that generation dealt not with just the elements but also the way society looked down on her. An inspiring story that shows that other opinions do not matter, but what you do does.

[stacypilot · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When I won an audio version of this book from LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers giveaway I had never heard of Workman or Annie Peck, also covered in the book. You learn so much about the role of women and about early mountain climbing you will not be bored. Actually I plan on listening to it a second time as I know I will enjoy it again.

[streamsong_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

From Wikipedia: “Fanny Bullock Workman (January 8, 1859 – January 22, 1925) was an American geographer, cartographer, explorer, travel writer, and mountaineer, notably in the Himalayas. She was one of the first female professional mountaineers; she not only explored but also wrote about her adventures. She set several women’s altitude records, , published eight travel books with her husband, and championed women's rights and women’s suffrage.”From an early age, Fanny Bullock considered herself a new woman She was born in 1859, to a wealthy New England family. Nevertheless, she had to campaign hard to convince her parents that she should attend college.But after she married William Workman her sense of adventure was able to shine. They began by climbing mountains in New England. This was followed by expeditions by bicycle (using the new safety bicycle where front and back wheels were the same size to make one easily able to set both feet on the ground when stopped).They bicycled throughout Europe and eventually moved onward again to cycling in Algeria and India. They wrote books and lectured about their experiences.They soon moved onward to high mountaineering, climbing first in Switzerland and then the Himalayas. There they found their passion. They became the first to summit many Himalayan peaks. Fanny Hunter n achieved many summits and records for women climbers ( a rarity in a male dominated sport). The Workmans continued to write books and lecture about their expeditions.I enjoyed the fun details about the times. For instance, Fanny suggested that women wear their long woolen skirt until they were sufficiently remote to avoid causing offense, and then discarding the skirt under a large rock where it could be retrieved on the return trip.Recommended for people who enjoy outdoor adventure stories or women’s history.

[jugglingpaynes · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Queen of the Mountaineers by Cathryn J. Prince tells the story of the amazing life of Fanny Bullock Workman, who was one of the first female professional mountaineers. The book covers her life of climbing, and the fame she gained by climbing the most peaks and the books she wrote about it. It also covers her rivalry with Annie Smith Peck, another woman climber who tried to claim the altitude record Fanny held. Prince uses excerpts from Fanny and her husband William's journals, as well as Peck's writings, to bring the story to life.All in all, I loved the book. Fanny Workman reminds me of Elizabeth Peters' character, Amelia Peabody, and I wonder if she had some inspiration from Fanny's story. I did find Elizabeth Wiley's narration of the book a little dry at first, but I think it got more animated as the story progressed. Perhaps this was done purposefully, as Fanny herself was very non-emotional in her earlier writings. I would recommend this book and the audiobook to anyone who enjoys adventures set in the late 1800's to early 20th century, as well as fans of the Amelia Peabody mysteries and those interested in women's studies and feminism. This is a remarkable life of a woman who conquered many mountains and also fought the sexism of her time.

[burlingtoncomlibrary · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I just read through the other EArly Reviewers reviews and I am wondering what I missed. I listened to 30 minutes in my car and was just bored beyond belief. I expected something...better. This seemed like an audio book made for people in the 1950's. I might try it again sometime but if the rest of the 7.5 hours are as daunting, I don't feel like I can expend the time. Suggestion for future writers~~get to the stuff. I don't need to hear about her marriage or other such trivia. I want to know what made Fanny amazing and innovative. We all know that the times were oppressive for women and there many women who fought the status quo so tell us about Fanny's uniqueness during the same time period. My interest was captured by the title but I felt let down during the first 30 minutes. Invigorate your audience, don't drown them.