Lady Dorothy ‘Dolly’ Mills was a trailblazer, whose larger-than-life personality led her to extraordinary adventures.
Born in 1889 into the Walpole family, who were eminent in political and literary spheres, Dolly defied the constraints of her upper-class upbringing by marrying a poor army captain, prompting her disinheritance.
From becoming the first English woman in Timbuktu she forged a reputation as one of the most renowned explorers in West Africa and beyond, travelling deep into Venezuela and the Middle East – territories often considered the preserve of men – breaking the mould and challenging her background and the expectations of her gender.
Dolly wrote acclaimed travel books, documenting remote places and peoples, capturing history in the making. By the 1930s, she was the best-known female explorer, appearing on platforms and in books alongside prominent men. She was elected as an early female Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and was a strong advocate for women in the field, leaving a bequest for women explorers on her death in 1959.
A feminist with unorthodox views which ultimately cost her her marriage, Dolly also wrote bold novels and incisive features for women. Despite life-changing obstacles, she never lost her love of donning a glamorous frock and downing a cocktail.
This is the first book about the life of the best-known female explorer, set against the backdrop of the decadent Jazz Age.
No Country For a Woman: The Adventurous Life of Lady Dorothy Mills, Explorer and Writer by Jane Dismore is published in paperback on 5 November, 2026.
Jane’s written for Historia about the background to this book, a feature about Dolly highlighting some of the dramatic episodes in her life, and The hazards of being a biographer.
There’s much more new historical writing in our round-up of over 210 books coming out in 2026.
