Shanghai A Moscou: Un Voyage A Cheval de 17,500 Kilometres Paperback - 2001

Even though she lived and rode in the adventure-soaked nineteenth century, there were few women who could match the amazing life and exploits of Catherine de Bourboulon. Born in Scotland in the 1820s, Catherine Fanny MacLeod was taken by her mother to live in the United States at an early age. Later the young traveler journeyed on to Mexico. There MacLeod discovered Phillipe de Bourboulon, a Frenchman who not only became the love of her life but harbored a spirit as wild as her own. Soon after they married the newlyweds left Mexico, arriving in China in 1849. They lived among the splendors and intrigues of the Chinese imperial court for ten years before deciding it was time to return to Europe. Then Catherine made an amazing suggestion. Rather than embarking on the first ship bound for France, she and Phillipe would instead ride 12,000 miles through some of the most desolate and dangerous portions of Asia! Shang-Hai a Moscou is thus the account of this amazing journey undertaken by the young lovers on horseback from 1859 to 1862. Written in French from diaries Fanny kept during the journey through Mongolia, Siberia and Russia, the book is compiled from a series of magazine articles published in Paris during the mid-nineteenth century. Alas, Catherine MacLeod de Bourboulon died soon after her return to Europe. She was only 38 years old. Much of her exciting story was later plagiarized by Jules Verne for his famed Cossack novel, Michael Strogoff. Illustrated with dozens of pen and ink sketches from Catherine s historic trip, this is the first time the fantastic travel account has been offered for sale in the English speaking world. The rediscovered classic remains fascinating reading for students of the horse or history. Note - because these stories appeared in magazine form, the pages are not numerically sequential.