While best remembered for her revolutionary work, “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” (1792), renowned feminist, author, and thinker Mary Wollstonecraft's most popular book during her lifetime was a remarkable travel narrative, Letters Written in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. The impetus behind Wollstonecraft's journey couldn't be more dramatic: Her relationship with her lover on rocky ground, Wollstonecraft sets out for Scandinavia in order to retrieve a stolen treasure ship for him. As she travels across the dramatic landscape, she writes vividly of the people she encounters, events she witnesses, and the sublime natural landscape. Yet the letters also reflect her anguish as she comes to realize that her love affair is fated to end. In its day, “Letters Written in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark” inspired hordes of readers to travel to Scandinavia. Now, with a new introduction by acclaimed travel author and novelist Joanna Kavenna, Mary Wollstonecraft's remarkable Letters will enchant a new generation of readers and world travelers.
