The Ambitions of Jane Franklin: Victorian Lady Adventurer

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Winner of the 2014 National Biography Award

'An engrossing biography of a fascinating and fearless modern woman.' - Professor Marilyn Lake, La Trobe University

In a period when most ladies sat at home with their embroidery, Jane Franklin achieved fame throughout the western world, and was probably the best travelled woman of her day.

Alison Alexander traces the life of this inimitable woman, from her birth in late eighteenth-century London, her marriage to Sir John Franklin, the famous Arctic explorer, and her many trips to far-flung locations.

Arriving in Tasmania in 1837 when Sir John became governor, she swept like a whirlwind through the colony: attempting to rid the island of snakes, establishing a scientific society, adopting an Aboriginal girl, and sending a kangaroo to Queen Victoria.

When her husband disappeared in the Arctic on an expedition to discover the Northwest Passage, she single-handedly turned him from a failure into one of England's noblest heroes. She continued travelling well into her 70s and died at age 84, refusing to take her medicine to the last.

Reviews

In Alison Alexander, Jane Franklin has found a biographer as adroit and willing to explore obscure nooks and crannies as herself. * Arctic Book Review *
Shines a bright light on the character of this remarkable woman. * Sydney Morning Herald *
Even-handed and often wryly amusing. * Canberra Times *
Alexander tells Lady Jane's story with a mixture of sophisticated analysis, personal insight and affectionate humour that penetrates much more deeply to the real woman. It holds the reader's fascinated attention to the end.... It is likely to be the definitive study of Lady Jane Franklin for many years. * The Australian *

Author Bio

Alison Alexander is one of Tasmania's best-known historians, and author of Tasmania's Convicts.