Ladies of the Field

Seven intrepid female archaeologists who shunned convention for groundbreaking adventure.

Abandoning the comfort of conventional life and cream tea, seven women left their Victorian homes to discover the fields of archaeology. In a time when ladies dressed in ruffled petticoats, these women were sporting work trousers, smoking men's pipes, and riding camels through uncharted Middle Eastern deserts. They were adventurous, smart, and fearless—they were the first women archaeologists. What drew these pioneering ladies into a male-dominated field that was then a very young science? What drove them to travel to far-flung sites where the well water was filled with bugs, danger was daily, and the sun was so hot it could bake through leather boots? Each woman found archaeology to be an irresistible passion. And as they pursued their dreams, they helped to bury ideas about feminine nature as something intrinsically soft and submissive. Ladies of the Field excavates the stories of women who sought adventure in the burgeoning new field of archaelogy and who continue to inspire us today, including Amelia Edwards, Jane Dieulafoy, Zelia Nuttall, Gertrude Bell, Harriet Boyd-Hawes, Agatha Christie, and Dorothy Garrod.

Amanda S. Adams is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and holds a Master's degree in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia. She has worked as a fashion model, an archeologist, and a freelance writer and illustrator. She lives in Minneapolis with her brand new husband and their four birds. She is the author of one previous work of nonfiction, A Mermaid's Tale: A Personal Search for Love and Lore. She lives in San Francisco.

" . . . an enticing and riveting read." -The Midwest Book Review

"Amanda Adams provides seven short biographies of some names you should know, and their contributions to their field in her latest book. The fact that these women had fascinating personal stories as well makes Ladies of the Field a truly riveting read, and one that any lover of kick-ass heroines is going to love." -Bookslut

"In Ladies of the Field, Amanda Adams chronicles the lives of seven female archaeologists who dug for historical treasures and challenged gender stereotypes. Thankfully, you don't have to be an archaeology buff to enjoy this read, as Adams provides a comprehensive glossary with terms that are used throughout . . . If you're looking to shake up your concept of Victorian women, these stories of adventure may be your cup of tea." -Shameless Magazine