On Sledge and Horseback to the Outcast Siberian Lepers

"On Sledge and Horseback to the Outcast Siberian Lepers" by Kate Marsden. 1892 1st American edition; Cassell Publishing Company; New York. This edition features a frontispiece portrait of Marsden with a map of her route (with a tissue guard), as well as numerous illustrations, photographs, maps, and facsimile documents. Decorative floral end papers.

From a review: "Kate Marsden, the youngest of eight children from a poor family, was a highly committed nurse. She cared for soldiers in the Russo-Turkish War in 1877-78, and undertook missionary travels to various countries, but she was especially concerned about the plight of those suffering from leprosy. This volume describes her remarkable journey to Siberian leper colonies. At first she travelled by sledge with a friend, but continued alone on horseback, facing appalling weather conditions with her customary courage. Her commitment to leprosy sufferers led her to found the St. Francis Leprosy Guild in London in 1895, and she organized a leprosy hospital in the remote Siberian town of Vilyusk in 1897."

The chapters are as follows: Clearing the Way; First Experience on the Road; Mostly Mishaps; Clanking Chains; Tarantass Traveling; Nearing the Lepers; Yakutsk - The Province and the People; First Experiences of the Two Thousand Miles on Horseback; Miseries of the Lepers; Among the Lepers; Through Fire; Finish of the Two Thousand Miles' Ride; Help for the Lepers; Results and Prospects.

Condition:
Tiny cloth tear at the top-right corner of the front cover. The gilt lettering at the bottom of the spine has partially faded. Tight binding with no cracks and no loose pages. Nice interior - the pages are lightly age-toned and mostly clean with only an occasional light smudge and foxing spot here and there. Page 27 has a 1" tear at the top edge. The lower-outer corner of contents page xiii has torn away. Overall the book is in Very Good condition.