Edith Mary Mellor's Travel Diary

Introduction

Diaries have emerged as an indispensable source for historians, offering a glimpse into the cultural and social environment of the past through the eyes of the author. As personal diaries were typically kept to remain private or have limited circulation, the thoughts, emotions, and experiences divulged within diaries can be some of the most intimate and unfiltered windows into history. This allows researchers to not only begin to understand public opinion on current events or day-to-day lifestyle and habits, but grasp history from a more human perspective, digesting personal accounts written in thorough detail. As such books are rarely ever published or promoted publicly, when one finds itself in library special collections, questions emerge regarding the authorship, how the item circulated into public eye, and how the book was personalized to tell a unique story.

One example of such a special book includes the Edith Mary Mellor Travel Diary, which can be found in the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts at the University of Pennsylvania. Penn Libraries purchased this diary from Eclectibles in 2015 from Tolland, Connecticut. It remains unclear how the book made its way from England to Connecticut, but it could be speculated that the book remained in the family’s following generations’ hands, who could have then moved to the United States many decades later. Edith Mary Mellor is known to have been born at Windsor, Berkshire, England to Elizabeth Mary Widcombe, her mother, and Albert Mellor, her father and a musician who worked at Eaton College. Her family also consisted of her two sisters, Doris Evelyn and Berta Clara Rosalind. Mellor studied at Oxford and received a Master of Arts in 1912, and went on to teach and transcribe books into Braille for the National Library for the Blind. This diary follows the travels of Mellor as she journeyed from England to Jerusalem and Egypt, embarking on her voyage on November 30, 1934 through January 17, 1935.

The book features an eclectic collection of items within the bounded pages, gathered from stops throughout her travels. Postcards, photographs, and guidebooks could be found tucked between the pages, complemented with pressed plants, hand drawn maps, and an unsent letter from Mellor addressed to her sister, Doris. Amongst these artifacts of Mellor’s adventures, her writing flowed across the pages and surrounded the attached objects, detailing not only her raw observations, but also her reflections on her experiences with the people and places of the various cultures she interacted with. At times, these writings brought light her personal feelings and beliefs, becoming more introspective writing. In addition to such accounts, she provided informative content, explaining the historical significance of the various major landmarks and sites she had visited. With such a diverse array of content at a reader’s disposal, there is much material to analyze, paving way for analysis on Mellor’s personal life and how her journey and perspectives intertwine with the context of the time and place, revealing not only valuable historical information, but also the significance of this genre of book to society.

History of Genre

The term “diary” is defined by Merriam-Webster as “a record of events, transactions, or observations kept daily or at frequent intervals, especially a daily record of personal activities, reflections, or feelings.” It is argued that the diary form emerged in the Seventeenth and Eighteen Centuries as a response to the development of the concept of “incremental time.” Rather than viewing time as “elastic,” time was viewed as a “relentless continuity.” The diary then became mass-marketed in the beginning of the Twentieth Century as major diary manufacturers competed intensely with each other. They fought to design to most desirable products, introducing diaries with exotic leather covers, specialist diaries, and preliminary pages full of random informative facts. Thus, diaries began to develop particular textual and visual conventions attributable to the genre.

The popularity of diaries only continued growing as Mass Observation, a social research organization, pushed consumers in the late 1930s towards the value and significance of diary keeping. This campaign for day surveys was motivated by the desire for greater democracy and egalitarianism, hoping to better educate politicians on the lives of ordinary citizens for better governance. Nonetheless, the popularity of diaries was also supported by the development of World War I, as a sharp rise in diary keeping ensued, possibly attributable to the psychological benefits of offering a space for individuals to reflect and unload their traumas, fears, and frustrations onto paper in relation to the war.

The Twentieth Century also experienced a spur of travel writing. With two world wars, the trend of globalization, and technological advances, mass tourism commenced. Modes of transportation developed, such as through the motorcycle, car, and air travel, allowing individuals to reach new areas more easily, specifically the countryside. Since motor vehicles were praised as means of getting closer with nature, instead of tainting it, such explorations were further encouraged. Furthermore, Britain’s shifting relationship with its colonies also sparked literary travel writers, as many authors saw travel as a journey to gain clarity on identity and culture. As doubt on Britain’s superiority began surfacing, many sought out travel as an escape to find more positive substitutes abroad.