Georgina M. Synge

A Ride through Wonderland, 1892.

Georgina M. Synge toured Yellowstone National Park around 1890.  She returned to Great Britain and shared the experience in her book titled A Ride Through Wonderland, published in 1892.  Synge deliberately writes as a newcomer in a foreign land, emphasizing her cultural distance from the unfamiliar countryside and people.  She often italicizes words and statements to highlight their origins.  On page 6 she briefly explains early concerns about horseback riding styles.  Later, on pages 104 and 105, when the tour group had traveled as far north as Livingston, Montana, Synge relates her perspective on Montana cowboys and the “Vigilance Society." In the twenty years following the publication of her travel narrative, Synge wrote books for juvenile readers including Dickie, A Tale; Beryl, The Story of a Child; Glory; and The Vision.