How to See Ceylon
Colombo: Times of Ceylon, [1924].
Hardcover. Very good. 8vo, 233 pp, with index, illustrations from photographs, folding map. Publisher's paper boards with parchment spine, mounted half-tone photo of an elephant on the front board. Small tear at base of spine, mild spine slant, all else very good. Third edition, and the first to include the map. Bella Woolf (1877–1960) was the sister of author Leonard Woolf (and sister-in-law of Virginia Woolf). Her second marriage was to the British colonial administrator Tom Southorn, and she wrote both fiction and non-fiction drawing on her experiences at his various postings. This book, which was first published in 1914, is considered the first pocket guide to the island. It provides detailed information for the traveler, including practical information on train schedules, auto and rickshaw rentals, climate, currency, etc., as well as many suggested itineraries with considerable detail of the history and culture of each site. An introductory chapter discusses Ceylon's history and the inhabitants and their occupations and mode of dress, and an afterword offers Woolf's reflections on "life below the surface that is only skimmed by the tourist," with particular attention to the lives of women.
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