Introduction

Abstract

Among travel writers, Jane Dolinger occupies a unique position—owing as much to what has been forgotten about her as to what hazy recollection those who have heard of her still retain. With almost a dozen books and more than a thousand articles to her credit spanning close to forty years, yet with none of them in print, one might conclude that time has delivered its verdict, that she was simply a passing fancy in her own day and should now slip quietly into the fading picture of the past, having no lasting relevance. But if we take the time to root out and examine that enormous literary legacy, and to look into the extraordinary life that produced it, her justification for being remembered—indeed, resurrected—strikes us as a beautiful revelation. And therein lies the challenge. That Jane is worthy of a serious retrospective biography can be proven only by reintroducing her to the public in just such a biography.