Short excerpt: His eyes glowed and darkened and in his voice was the ring of a great enthusiasm for he had seen a Vision and this trip was a vital part of his dream.

In 1905 Mina Benson Hubbard become the first white woman to cross Labrador, documenting her experience in the classic A Woman's Way Through Unknown Labrador. This reissue, edited and fully annotated by Sherrill Grace, makes the work available for the first time since the original 1908 publication and features an introduction that situates Hubbard's writing in the context of her life and times. In 1903 Hubbard's husband, Leonidas, starved to death on his cartographic and ethnographic expedition to Labrador. Determined to complete her husband's work, she set out in July 1905 with the help of George Elson, a Metis guide from the original trip, and three others. The expedition was completed in record time and yielded significant results, including the first accurate map of the Labrador river system - the map and original photographs of the expedition are reproduced in this volume. A Woman's Way Through Unknown Labrador reveals a Victorian woman's perspective on an unchartered landscape, the people she met - Innu, Cree, Metis - and the journey itself. Through Hubbard's account we see her come to terms with her husband's death and gain confidence in her own abilities.She writes about her experiences with great sensitivity, speaking of a place now changed beyond recognition.

Review
“A Woman's Way Through Unknown Labrador is worthy of the same attention given to prominent exploration and travel writers on the Canadian North and should be recognized as part of the cannon of Victorian travel-writing and women's autobiography. Grace's introduction is beautifully written and provides an impressive discussion of Hubbard's photographs and a wonderful analysis of the text.” Carolyn Podruchny, Western Michigan University