Stuff You Missed in History Class Elizabeth Bisland, Beyond the Trip Around the World
Mar 9, 2026
A look at Elizabeth Bisland’s unexpected 1889 world trip and how it was framed as a contest with Nellie Bly. Her Louisiana childhood and family ties to a plantation are explored. The story touches on her literary career, ties to Lafcadio Hearn, and the practical travel advice she wrote for women. It also notes later controversies and her late-life philanthropy.
42:54
Secret Pseudonym Launched Her Journalism Career
- Bisland secretly submitted poetry under a male pseudonym B.L. Dane, walking miles to post it from another town to hide authorship.
- Editors assumed the poems were by an older English gentleman until her identity was revealed and she was hired by the Times Democrat at 20.
Bisland's Reluctant Last-Minute Assignment
- Elizabeth Bisland was summoned at 11am and told to leave that evening to try to circle the globe from San Francisco for a magazine publicity stunt.
- She resisted the notoriety, listed practical objections like guests coming for tea and lack of proper garments, yet departed within six hours and began the trip.
Two Very Different Around The World Stories
- The Cosmopolitan framed Bisland's voyage as a measured, literary counterpart to Nellie Bly's sensational stunt, reflecting each publication's audience and style.
- Bly's vivid, celebratory reporting contrasts with Bisland's poetic, restrained chapters published monthly in Cosmopolitan's issues.
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Intro
00:00 • 3min
Early Life in Louisiana and Family Background
02:53 • 3min
Childhood After the Civil War
05:40 • 1min
Literary Beginnings and Early Writings
06:47 • 3min
Move to New York and Career Start
10:06 • 4min
Ad break
13:41 • 1min
Bisland's Literary Circle and Lafcadio Hearn
14:49 • 3min
Cosmopolitan Editor and Editorial Work
17:45 • 4min
The Race Idea: Nellie Bly Sparks a Stunt
21:40 • 2min
Bisland's Reluctant Assignment
23:20 • 2min
The Journey: Direction and Coverage Limits
25:25 • 2min
Contrasting Accounts: Bly's Spectacle vs Bisland's Tone
27:13 • 4min
Missed Connections and the Final Timing
31:39 • 1min
Ad break
32:54 • 4min
Life After the Trip: Marriage and Social Position
36:58 • 2min
Practical Travel Advice and Views on Women Travelers
39:23 • 3min
Scholarly Work: Lafcadio Hearn Biography
42:50 • 2min
Later Essays and Problematic Views
44:43 • 1min
Final Years and Legacy
45:51 • 4min
Outro
49:59 • 6min
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A candle of understanding
Elizabeth Bisland
Elizabeth Bisland's 'A Candle of Understanding' is a work of fiction published in 1903 that incorporates elements inspired by her upbringing in post-Civil War Louisiana.
The novel explores Southern society, memory, and personal development, reflecting contemporary attitudes and literary styles of the era.
While fictional, it borrows from Bisland's experiences and observations, presenting characters and settings shaped by Reconstruction's social changes.
The book also contains period-specific language and perspectives, including influences from Lost Cause mythology that complicate modern readings.
As part of Bisland's broader literary output, the novel illustrates her range beyond journalism and travel writing.
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The Secret Life, Being the Book of a Heretic
Elizabeth Bisland
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Life and Letters of Lafcadio Hearn
Elizabeth Bisland
Elizabeth Bisland's 'Life and Letters of Lafcadio Hearn' is a comprehensive two-volume work assembling Hearn's correspondence and a biographical narrative following his life and literary career.
Published after Hearn's death in 1904, the compilation aimed to introduce readers to his work and preserve his legacy, while providing contextual biography.
Bisland worked with Hearn's widow and family to organize materials and produce a readable account for English-speaking audiences.
The volumes helped cement Hearn's reputation as a key interpreter of Japanese culture for Western readers, even as later scholarship critiques elements of exoticism in his writings.
The publication also intersected with controversies over Hearn's earlier personal life and marital claims raised by others.
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In Seven Stages. a Flying Trip Around the World
Elizabeth Bisland
Elizabeth Bisland's 'In Seven Stages: A Flying Trip Around the World' chronicles her 1889–1890 journey around the world undertaken as an assignment for The Cosmopolitan magazine.
Written in a literary, reflective style, the work contrasts with contemporary sensational accounts by focusing on observations, travel detail, and Bisland's personal impressions.
Serialized in The Cosmopolitan and later published as a book, it provided readers with a month-by-month stage structure recounting each leg of her trip.
The narrative captures late 19th-century travel logistics and culture while highlighting Bisland's restraint and craft as a travel writer.
The book contributed to her reputation and to period travel literature, though Bisland herself disliked the notoriety the trip brought.
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Three Wise Men of the East
Elizabeth Bisland
Elizabeth Bisland's 'Three Wise Men of the East' is a posthumous compilation of biographies profiling three influential Asian rulers: Shah Jahan of the Mughal Empire, the Manchu emperor Qianlong (referred to as Chen Lung), and Toyotomi Hideyoshi of Japan.
The book synthesizes Bisland's travel observations and historical research to present engaging character studies aimed at English-speaking readers.
While intended to show sensitivity to national characteristics, the work reflects early 20th-century Western perspectives and interpretations of non-Western histories.
Reissued by the University of North Carolina Press in 2018, it drew attention for Bisland's narrative skill and the historical interest of its subjects.
The book situates Bisland as more than a travel writer, demonstrating her interest in broader historical biography.
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The truth about men and other matters
Elizabeth Bisland
Elizabeth Bisland's 'The Truth About Men and Other Matters' collects essays reflecting her observations on men, gender relations, and social attitudes in the early 20th century.
The title essay critiques the male-centered record of history and suggests the need to hear women's perspectives, while other essays vary in tone and subject.
The book also contains essays that reflect prevailing prejudices of the era, including an explicitly anti-Semitic piece that complicates Bisland's legacy.
As a late-career collection, it showcases Bisland's polished essay style and engagement with cultural debates but also demonstrates problematic viewpoints common in its historical context.
The work is of interest to scholars studying gender discourse and period attitudes in interwar America.
#17479
• Mentioned in 3 episodes
The art of travel
Alain de Botton
#3589
• Mentioned in 13 episodes
Around the World in 80 Days
Nik Marcel
Jules Verne
George Towle
Jules Verne's "Around the World in 80 Days" follows the adventurous journey of Phileas Fogg, an English gentleman, who wagers he can circumnavigate the globe in 80 days.
Accompanied by his French valet, Passepartout, Fogg embarks on a thrilling race against time, encountering various challenges and exciting adventures along the way.
The novel explores themes of adventure, determination, and the clash between tradition and modernity.
Verne's detailed descriptions of different cultures and landscapes add to the story's immersive quality.
The novel's enduring popularity stems from its captivating plot and timeless themes.
Journalist and writer Elizabeth Bisland was sent on a trip around the world in 1889, in a sort of race against Nellie Bly. But that was not something she wanted to be known for.
Research:
- Bisland, Elisabeth. “At the Sign of the Hobby Horse.” Houghton, Mifflin and Co. Riverside Press. 1910. https://archive.org/details/atsignofhobbyhor0000eliz/page/n12/mode/1up
- Bisland, Elizabeth, 1861-1929. “A Candle of Understanding: a Novel.” New York and London: Harper & brothers, 1903.
- Bisland, Elizabeth. “In Seven Stages: A Flying Trip Around the World.” New York. Harper & Brothers. 1891. https://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/bisland/stages/stages.html
- Bisland, Elizabeth. “Societies for Minding One's Own Business.” The North American Review. 11/1/1910.
- Bisland, Elizabeth. “The Art of Travel.” From The woman's book, dealing practically with the modern conditions of home-life, self-support, education, opportunities, and every-day problems. 1894. https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_LBEhBEGmUq4C/
- Bisland, Elizabeth. “The Truth About Men and Other Matters.” New York. Avondale Press. 1927.
- Britannica Editors. "Lafcadio Hearn". Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Sep. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lafcadio-Hearn. Accessed 18 February 2026.
- Codrescu, Andrei. “The Many Lives of Lafcadio Hearn.” The Paris Review. 7/2/2019. https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2019/07/02/the-many-lives-of-lafcadio-hearn/
- “Foley, Alethea "Mattie",” Notable Kentucky African Americans Database, accessed February 19, 2026, https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/items/show/300004770.
- Goodman, Matthew. “Elizabeth Bisland’s Race Around the World.” Public Domain Review. 10/16/2013. https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/elizabeth-bislands-race-around-the-world/
- Harrison-Kahan, Lori and Karen E. H. Skinazi. “The Girl Reporter in Fact and Fiction: Miriam Michelson's New Women and Periodical Culture in the Progressive Era.” American Quarterly , Jun., 2002, Vol. 54, No. 2 (Jun., 2002). https://www.jstor.org/stable/30041927
- Heitman, Danny. “Lafcadio Hearn in New Orleans.” HUMANITIES, May/June 2012, Volume 33, Number 3. https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2012/mayjune/feature/lafcadio-hearn-in-new-orleans
- New York Times. “MRS. E.B. WETMORE, AUTHOR, DIES IN SOUTH; Former Elizabeth Bisland of This City to Be Buried in Woodlawn Today.” 1/19/1929. https://www.nytimes.com/1929/01/09/archives/mrs-eb-wetmore-author-dies-in-south-former-elizabeth-bisland-of.html
- Christopher Goodwin & Associates, Inc. “Historical and Archaeological Investigations of Fort Bisland and Lower Bayou Teche, St. Mary Parish, Louisiana.” June 1991. https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA242489.pdf
- Roggenkamp, Karen. “Dignified Sensationalism: ‘Cosmopolitan,’ Elizabeth Bisland, and Trips around the World.” American Periodicals , 2007, Vol. 17, No. 1 (2007). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20770967
- Rose, Alex. “Elizabeth Bisland: Around the World in 76 Days.” Science Museum Group. 1/30/2023. https://blog.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/rare-globe-celebrates-elizabeth-bislands-voyage-around-the-world/
- Science Museum Group. “Elizabeth Bisland 1861-1929.” https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/people/cp172999/elizabeth-bisland
- Tutwiler, Julia R. “The Southern Woman in New York.” The Bookman: A Magazine of Literature and Life. February, 1904. https://archive.org/details/the-bookman-1895-1933/1900-1909/1904/The%20Bookman%20v18n06%20%281904-02%29%20%28unz%29/page/624/mode/1up
- Tutwiler, Julia R. “The Southern Woman in New York: Part 2.” The Bookman: A Magazine of Literature and Life. March, 1904. https://archive.org/details/bookmanareviewb05unkngoog/page/50/mode/1up
- Vatican Apostolic Library. “Elizabeth Bisland.” En Route Project. https://enrouteproject.com/en/the-research/the-female-travelers/elizabeth-bisland/
- Williams, Susan Millar. “L’enfant Terrible: Elizabeth Bisland and the South.” The Southern Review; Oct 1, 1986; 22, 4; ProQuest pg. 680.
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