Amelia B. Edwards

Born in London in 1831, Amelia B. Edwards built a remarkably varied career as a writer, journalist, and traveler. She published poems and stories from a young age, and later became known for works such as Barbara's History, the ghost story The Phantom Coach, and the travel book A Thousand Miles up the Nile.

A journey to Egypt in 1873–74 changed the direction of her life. Deeply impressed by the monuments she saw and concerned by the damage being done to them, she began writing and lecturing to encourage wider public interest in Egypt's history and preservation.

Edwards went on to help found the Egypt Exploration Fund in 1882, an organization created to support archaeological research in Egypt. By the time of her death in 1892, she had become one of the best-known champions of Egyptology in Britain, remembered both for her adventurous writing and for helping lay foundations for the field's growth.