The book focuses on six 'intrepid women' who undertook ground-breaking fieldwork in anthropology between 1910 and the late 1950s. They all defied conventions, travelling to places where 'ladies' didn't go, learning local languages and establishing relationships across cultural barriers. Many survived physical hardships in their research: one was nearly thrown overboard on a sea voyage to Mexico, and another ventured into literally uncharted parts of New Guinea. All the women assembled collections and took photographs to document their journeys. The book stems from an exhibition of the same title - 'Intrepid Women: Fieldwork in Action 1910-1957' held at the Pitt Rivers Museum, which was co-curated by the authors of this publication.