"At last I reached Yakutsk, tired, stiff, and dirty, as of course all the time I was on board I could not undress, much less have a bath. Here I was told it was almost impossible for a woman to get to Viluisk, or to reach the lepers, who were hidden far away in impassable woods far up the interior, whilst their condition was so deplorable that nothing could be done to help them...."

In 1890, Kate Marsden, a British nurse, travelled 14,000 miles by boat, train, sledge, and horse, to reach remote isolated patients with leprosy in Siberia. Her resulting memoir, On Sledge and Horseback to the Outcast Siberian Lepers, is more than just a travelogue. It offers a profound reflection on the plight of societal outcasts, the challenges faced by female explorers, and the need for religious zeal to survive, all of which she experienced with the approval of Queen Victoria and Empress Maria Feodorovna.

This edition includes a contemporary interview, the original text, and a brand new afterword by Kate S Marsden that completes the story of a remarkable woman still celebrated in Siberia today. Her writing beautifully captures the diverse communities of Russia, suffused with kindness and empathy. Marsden writes with a sensitivity and empathy that encompassed everyone from the lowest outcast to the Queen of the British Empire. The narration by Jennifer Lewis brings back to life the lost voice of a nurse who was passionately devoted to God and sacrificed so much to help the lonely and sick.