It’s 1889, and the world is newly dominated by steamships, railroads, and the telegraph. Two women take on the race of their life, spanning twenty-eight thousand miles through Europe, the Middle East, Far East, and the North American frontier -- for months captivating the attention of the United States and much of the world beyond. Matthew Goodman’s Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland’s History-Making Race Around the World (Ballantine Books) recreates the true story of two intrepid women determined to outdo Jules Verne’s fictional hero Phileas Fogg and circle the globe in less than eighty days. Through meticulous attention to detail and years of research, Goodman brings these two trailblazers to vivid life as they face wild ocean crossings and freezing mountain train journeys.

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