Globetrotters: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's World Tour: A Graphic Novel

A breathless, lively, and gripping nonfiction graphic novel recounting the true tale of a race between two fearless female journalists, one of the most famous publicity stunts ever attempted!

In the 1800s the newspaper is king and female journalists are few and far between. Intrepid reporters Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland are pitted against the clock and each other in a madcap publicity stunt that the whole world is watching--read all about one of the first viral news stories reported on and starring these two journalists in the race of their careers.

Everyone knows about Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days, but what about a real-life mad dash around the world in less than 80 days?

This is the challenge that journalist Nellie Bly tackles in 1889--her mission is to beat the famous fictional record set by Phileas Fogg, the main character of Jules Verne's famous novel. Whether or not the stunt is successful, it will mean big sales for the paper she writes for, the New York World.

But as Nellie Bly sets off on her journey, up-and-coming competing newspaper Cosmopolitan decides to send another woman, Elizabeth Bisland, on the exact same journey, turning an already challenging publicity stunt into a competition that pits the two women against each other on the world stage.

As the press coverage heats up, the world watches and the public pressure intensifies. Bly and Bisland are embroiled in a race against time, with sexism and prejudice to contend with to boot.

Author: Julian Voloj
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Published: 11/04/2025
Pages: 184
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.80lbs
Size: 10.40h x 7.90w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9781419784477


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 11/01/2025

About the Author
Julian Voloj is a New York-based writer whose work has been published in the New York Times, Rolling Stone, the Washington Post, and many other national and international publications. Born to Colombian parents in Germany, where he studied literature and linguistics, Voloj moved to New York in 2004. His fascination for forgotten heroes and hidden figures stems from his own family history and has been a leitmotif in his nonfiction graphic novels. He is the author of Black & White on our Abrams ComicArts list (Spring 2023). Julie Rocheleau is an illustrator, animator, and cartoonist from Montreal, Canada. She has been published in Canada, Europe, and the United States. Her work has been nominated for three Eisner Awards, and she has won multiple awards, including two Joe Shuster Awards, a Cutting Edge Award, a Trois-Rivières Book Fair Prize, two Quebec Booksellers' Prizes, three Bédéis Causa Alb éric-Bourgeois Prizes, an FNAC Comics Prize, a Interpol'Art Festival Prize, and a Marc-Olivier Lavertue Prize.