Barbara Toy
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Barbara Alex Toy
FRGS The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...
(11 August 1908 – 18 July 2001) was an Australian-British travel writer, theatrical director, playwright, and screenplay writer. She is most famous for the series of books she wrote about her pioneering and solitary travels around the world in a
Land Rover Land Rover is a brand of predominantly four-wheel drive, off-road capable vehicles, owned by British multinational car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), since 2008 a subsidiary of India's Tata Motors. JLR builds Land Rovers in Brazil ...
, undertaken in the 1950s and 1960s. Toy was drawn to
desert A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the la ...
s, and so the majority of her journeys were in the arid lands of Northern Africa and the Middle East. Toy's first solo journey took place almost five years before the perhaps more celebrated six-man team
Oxford and Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition The 1955-56 Oxford and Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition was a publicity effort by the Rover Company as manufacturer of the Land Rover Series I 86" Station Wagons. The station wagons were very different from the previous Tickford model, bein ...
, a London to Singapore overland trip between September 1955 and March 1956 that was also undertaken in Land Rovers.


Life before Land Rovers

Toy was born in Sydney, on 11 August 1908 to Bert Frank Claud Toy and Nellie Frederica (Lowing) Toy, one of two daughters born to the couple. Her father, Bert Toy (1878–1931), was a newspaper editor and war correspondent. He had reported from the
Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic an ...
in South Africa and had worked on and edited newspapers in New Zealand and in Australia, including the '' Wairarapa Age'', the ''
Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper in ...
'', ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'', ''
The Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot Plasma (physics), plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as ...
'', '' The Bulletin'' (where he was literary editor) and the ''
Australian Woman's Mirror ''The Australian Woman's Mirror'' was an Australian weekly women's magazine published by '' The Bulletin'' magazine in Sydney, between 1924 and 1961. History The first issue of the magazine was published on 25 November 1924 with the following ...
''. The family were well-read and eschewed formal education; consequently Toy was largely self-taught, although she did attend Neutral Bay School in Sydney for a time. Her father encouraged Toy's interest in writing from an early age. In 1930 Toy married Ewing Rixson, a member of a well-known New York Quaker family. At the time of her marriage, Toy was a librarian at the Roycroft Library, a bookshop and library established by Frances Zabel in Rowe Street, Sydney, in the 1920s. Rixson had a passion for books and travel, (at the time of their marriage he was already a Fellow of the
Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...
), and introduced Toy to the world of travel. However, the couple gradually drifted apart, and separated from her husband, Toy moved to London in 1935. In London Toy became involved in the theatrical world. After an unsuccessful stint as an actress, from 1939 she worked behind the scenes at the Richmond Theatre in the
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in south-west Greater London, London, England, forms part of Outer London and is the only London boroughs, London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller ...
as assistant stage manager and then stage director. She worked as a volunteer ambulance driver and/or an air raid warden during
The Blitz The Blitz (English: "flash") was a Nazi Germany, German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom, for eight months, from 7 September 1940 to 11 May 1941, during the Second World War. Towards the end of the Battle of Britain in 1940, a co ...
. After bomb damage closed the Richmond Theatre in 1941, Toy worked at the Welwyn Film Studios, where she met screenwriter and film director
Norman Lee Norman Lee (10 October 1898 – 2 June 1964) was a British screenwriter and film director. Selected filmography * '' The Lure of the Atlantic'' (1929) * '' The Streets of London'' (1929) * '' Night Patrol'' (1930, documentary) * '' Doctor J ...
. In 1943 under the pseudonym 'Norman Armstrong', she co-authored ''Lifeline'' with Lee, described as 'a play about the merchant navy in three acts' and her first published work, published by Samuel French. Toy also co-authored a film screenplay with Lee, an adaptation of
W. W. Jacobs William Wymark Jacobs (8 September 1863 – 1 September 1943) was an English author of short fiction and drama. He is best known for his story "The Monkey's Paw". Early life He was born in 1863 at 5, Crombie's Row, Mile End Old Town (not Wappin ...
' 1902 horror story ''
The Monkey's Paw "The Monkey's Paw" is a Horror fiction, horror short story by English author W. W. Jacobs. It first appeared in ''Harper's Monthly'' in September, 1902, and was reprinted in his third collection of short stories, ''The Lady of the Barge'', late ...
'', the film of which was released in 1948. In 1945, Toy travelled to Germany and the Netherlands for
ENSA The Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) was an organisation established in 1939 by Basil Dean and Leslie Henson to provide entertainment for British armed forces personnel during World War II. ENSA operated as part of the Navy, ...
, the Entertainments National Service Association, to compile a report on the state of theatre in liberated Western Europe. After she returned to England, Toy became the director of a new theatre production company with her friend Moie Charles. Together, they also wrote dramatisations of three novels. In 1949 Toy and Charles approached
Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving ...
about adapting her 1930 novel ''
Murder at the Vicarage ''The Murder at the Vicarage'' is a work of detective fiction by the British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in October 1930 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. The UK edit ...
'' into a play of the same name. Christie's official biography suggests that the play was written by Christie with changes then made by Charles and Toy, presumably enough for them to claim the credit. The play included a major change to the denouement. Whatever the truth of the authorship, Christie was enthusiastic about the play and attended its rehearsals and first night at The Playhouse in December 1949. The production ran for 126 performances. Toy and Charles also wrote ''The Man in Grey'', a play adaptation of the novel of the same name by
Lady Eleanor Smith Lady Eleanor Furneaux Smith (7 August 1902 – 20 October 1945) was an English writer and active member of the Bright Young Things. Life Born in Birkenhead, England in 1902, Smith was the eldest child of the politician F. E. Smith's three ...
, and ''Random Harvest'', based on the book of the same name by James Hilton. Toy took over the management of Worthing Repertory Company at the
Connaught Theatre The Connaught Theatre is a Streamline Moderne-style theatre and cinema in the centre of Worthing, in West Sussex, England. Built as the Picturedrome cinema in 1914, the venue was extended in 1935 and became the new home of the Connaught Theatre ...
in
Worthing Worthing ( ) is a seaside town and borough in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 113,094 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Br ...
, a position she held until she resigned to go off on her first overland journey in late 1950.


Travels in Land Rovers

Toy had travelled extensively with her husband. In her earlier years she had visited Thailand, Iceland, Europe including Yugoslavia and Greece, and Lebanon, and she had been made a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in recognition of these travels. However, her life changed to one of solo overland expeditions and adventure in 1950, as a result of a bet made in a pub. Toy has been recognised as a pioneer of long distance overland expeditions: not only was she one of the first people to undertake such expeditions (only a Colonel Leblanc had made such a journey before her, in 1949), she was the first woman to do so. Many of the expeditions that followed were team efforts, whereas Toy travelled alone and without support or backup.


First expedition 1950-1: Gibraltar to Baghdad and back to London

Toy had always wanted to visit
Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...
. She described the genesis of the first of many solo overland trips in a 1963 newspaper interview: "Her philosophy is that life is gloriously free and, if you really want to do anything, nothing and no one can stop you. 'I was arguing about this with a group of friends in a London pub ... and I suddenly found myself saying, 'As a matter of fact, I'm off to Bagdad icin a week or two'." Once committed to the trip, she quickly got together the money to buy a demonstration (i.e. second hand) 1950 80" rag-top Series I Land Rover,Barbara Toy, 1955, ''A Fool on Wheels'', pages 9–10 which she named Pollyanna, and organised the visas, permits and carnets required. As she already knew Europe from her earlier travels she decided to take a route via North Africa. She set off alone on her journey, starting from Gibraltar (she flew out there from London and had Pollyanna freighted to await her there), some time after Christmas 1950. She crossed the
Straits of Gibraltar The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Europe from Africa. The two continents are separated by 7.7 nautical miles (14.2 kilometers, 8.9 miles) at its narrowest point. Fe ...
and followed the Mediterranean coastline of North Africa, travelling through what was then
French Morocco The French protectorate in Morocco, also known as French Morocco, was the period of French colonial rule in Morocco that lasted from 1912 to 1956. The protectorate was officially established 30 March 1912, when Sultan Abd al-Hafid signed the ...
, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, to Cyprus, then down through Lebanon, Syria and then through Jordan to Iraq. While in Iraq she visited several archaeological sites, including in May 1951 Sir Max Mallowan's excavations at
Nimrud Nimrud (; ) is an ancient Assyrian people, Assyrian city (original Assyrian name Kalḫu, biblical name Calah) located in Iraq, south of the city of Mosul, and south of the village of Selamiyah (), in the Nineveh Plains in Upper Mesopotamia. ...
where his wife
Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving ...
was helping with processing the finds. The work on the site had just finished, and the finds for that season included the stele of King Assur-nasir-pal II. Her journey home is not described in the book, although in her second book ''A Fool in the Desert'' she says that she drove back to England. Toy published an account of her travels in 1955 under the title ''A Fool on Wheels: Tangier to Baghdad by Land-Rover''. The 'Fool on Wheels' title was taken from a dismissive remark by a
brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...
she met in Gibraltar at the start of her travels who had told her that she was mad to even think about making the journey. The book was well-received: ''
The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...
'' commented "A highly readable book about her solitary journey in a Land Rover from Tangier to Baghdad. A woman of remarkable courage", while ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' said of her "She has a gift for people: she has an eye for places." It is worth noting that Toy's solo journey took place almost five years before the perhaps more celebrated six-man team
Oxford and Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition The 1955-56 Oxford and Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition was a publicity effort by the Rover Company as manufacturer of the Land Rover Series I 86" Station Wagons. The station wagons were very different from the previous Tickford model, bein ...
, a London to Singapore overland trip between September 1955 and March 1956 that was also undertaken in Land Rovers.


Second expedition 1952: Libya

Toy's second journey was through Libya. This six or seven-month expedition was undertaken in 1952. She and Pollyanna arrived by ship at
Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis (from , meaning "three cities") may refer to: Places Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in the Pelasgiotis district, Thessaly, near Larissa ...
. As well as travelling along the coastline, she made two journeys into the interior, to Traghen in
Fezzan Fezzan ( , ; ; ; ) is the southwestern region of modern Libya. It is largely desert, but broken by mountains, uplands, and dry river valleys (wadis) in the north, where oases enable ancient towns and villages to survive deep in the otherwise in ...
, and to Al Jawf (called El Giof by Toy) and
El Tag El Tag (; also ''Al-Tag'', ''Al-Taj'') is a village and holy site in the Kufra Oasis, within the Libyan Desert subregion of the Sahara. It is in the Kufra District in the southern Cyrenaica region of southeastern Libya. The Arabic ''el tag'' trans ...
in the
Kufra Kufra () is a basinBertarelli (1929), p. 514. and oasis group in the Kufra District of southeastern Cyrenaica in Libya. At the end of the 19th century, Kufra became the centre and holy place of the Senussi order. It also played a minor role in ...
oasis. Toy's guide to Kufra was the same man who had guided Rosita Forbes there in 1920-1. In Tripoli, Toy met Major Gordon Lett, who had ordered many vehicles to be pushed over cliffs into the sea rather than let them fall into German hands at the second fall of Tobruk. Toy spent some time in the desert looking for bodies with Herman Schultze-Dewitz, former ADC to Field Marshal Rommel and now in charge of the German War Graves Commission unit in Cyrenaica. Toy dived in
Benghazi Benghazi () () is the List of cities in Libya, second-most-populous city in Libya as well as the largest city in Cyrenaica, with an estimated population of 859,000 in 2023. Located on the Gulf of Sidra in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, Ben ...
, and three weeks after her dive the sunken ammunition ship near which she had been diving exploded. She arrived back in the UK in October 1952. Prior to setting out on this journey, Toy had Pollyanna fitted with a new station wagon body to replace her soft top; the flat roof was painted white to reflect the sun's rays.Barbara Toy, 1956, ''A Fool in the Desert'', page 3


Third expedition 1953: Kuwait and Saudi Arabia

Another journey followed in 1953, beginning in
Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...
when she wrote to
King Abdulaziz Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud (; 15 January 1875Ibn Saud's birth year has been a source of debate. It is generally accepted as 1876, although a few sources give it as 1880. According to British author Robert Lacey's book ''The Kingdom'', ...
, the King of
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
asking for permission to visit. Permission was granted, and Toy became one of the first women to explore
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
and to meet the King and visit his
harem A harem is a domestic space that is reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A harem may house a man's wife or wives, their pre-pubescent male children, unmarried daughters, female domestic Domestic worker, servants, and other un ...
.


Fourth expedition 1956-7: Round the world

Her 'boldest feat' was her fourth journey, a round-the-world trip in Pollyanna, through Europe and Turkey to Pakistan, through Asia, from Perth to Sydney and finally from San Francisco to New York, a journey that she described in her 1958 book, ''Columbus was Right!: Rover around the world''. She had reached Singapore by March 1957 and was in Australia by May that year.


Fifth expedition 1959: Libya, Central African Republic, Congo, Tanganyika, Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya

Toy felt that her fifth journey, in 1959, was when she became a real 'explorer'. She travelled from Libya to the
Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to Central African Republic–Chad border, the north, Sudan to Central African Republic–Sudan border, the northeast, South Sudan to Central ...
, further south to the Congo and then east to
Lake Victoria Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. With a surface area of approximately , Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake by area, the world's largest tropics, tropical lake, and the world's second-largest fresh water lake by surface are ...
, then north along the
River Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the longest river i ...
to
Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum is the capital city of Sudan as well as Khartoum State. With an estimated population of 7.1 million people, Greater Khartoum is the largest urban area in Sudan. Khartoum is located at the confluence of the White Nile – flo ...
in Sudan, then east into
Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
, then took a wandering course south through Ethiopia and eventually entered
Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
at
Moyale Moyale is a city situated on the border between Ethiopia and Kenya. In Ethiopia, it serves as the administrative centre for two Ethiopian woredas: Moyale of the Oromia Region and Moyale of the Somali Region. In Kenya, it is the largest tow ...
. She claimed to have been the first Westerner to set foot on the top of Mount Wahni in Ethiopia, known locally as Wehni Amba, which she accessed by helicopter. She wrote about her travels in her 1961 book ''In Search of Sheba: Across the Sahara to Ethiopia''.


Sixth expedition 1961: Timbuktu to Tripoli

In another journey, undertaken in 1961 in a replacement and more modern Land Rover, her third, a 109" Series IIA Dormobile Land Rover, registration 5751 WD, Toy drove from
Timbuktu Timbuktu ( ; ; Koyra Chiini: ; ) is an ancient city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. It is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali, having a population of 32,460 in the 2018 census. ...
to
Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis (from , meaning "three cities") may refer to: Places Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in the Pelasgiotis district, Thessaly, near Larissa ...
, described in her 1964 book, ''The Way of the Chariots''. One aim was to investigate the hundreds of
rock drawings A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...
discovered in 1933 by a French officer in the
Tassili n'Ajjer Tassili n'Ajjer (Berber: ''Tassili n Ajjer'', ; "Plateau of rivers") is a mountain range in the Sahara desert, located in south-eastern Algeria. It holds one of the most important groupings of prehistoric cave art in the world, and covers an ar ...
mountains in southern
Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
. She also hoped to see if there was any evidence for the apocryphal great highway stretching from the Mediterranean to the Niger that had been supposedly driven by chariots in prehistoric times.


Expeditions in later life

In 1990, at the age of 81 and as Vice-President of the Land Rover Register 1948–1953, Toy set off on her second world tour in the original Pollyanna. She successfully completed a second circumnavigation and was home just in time for Christmas. After that, she made a trip across the
Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...
, retracing the steps of the journey made by
Hannibal Hannibal (; ; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Punic people, Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Ancient Carthage, Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War. Hannibal's fat ...
and his elephants. Toy was a Fellow of the
Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...
, and received the Rover Award for one of her journeys.


Pollyanna

Pollyanna was Toy's first Land Rover, in which she undertook the journeys described in her first four books. It was a 1950 80" soft-top Series I Land Rover, a demonstration model (i.e. second hand) bought in late 1951 from Henly's in Osnaburgh Street in London for £640, with the registration KYH 628. Thanks to the publicity generated by her books about her travels, Toy entered into a sponsorship deal with Rover, the makers of Land Rovers. Before her second journey, to Libya some time between 1953 and 1955, Toy had Pollyanna fitted with a new station wagon body to replace her soft top, and the flat roof was painted white to reflect the sun's rays In around 1960 (dates vary: some sources say 1958), after nearly a decade of service and 210,000 miles of travel, Rover pressured Toy into exchanging Pollyanna for a newer long wheel base Series II model, as the company felt she could not be seen representing the marque in an old-fashioned and battered 1950 Land Rover. Rover then gave Pollyanna to a technical mechanics' college in Chesterfield. It was later recognised as the iconic Pollyanna and bought and restored by a Mr Shakespeare, a Land Rover enthusiast. He showed it at shows and rallies, and approached Toy for memorabilia from her travels to display at such events. She asked to buy Pollyanna back, but he refused. In 1989, after he had died, Toy was able to buy Pollyanna from his estate for £3,500, paying five times what she had originally paid for it. A passage in Toy's book ''In Search of Sheba: Across the Sahara to Ethiopia'' (1961) describes her feelings on being forced to trade in her beloved Pollyanna for a newer, unwanted model—and one which she considered to be less reliable. By 2009, Pollyanna was in the ownership of Tom Pickford and his father Guy, who during Toy's lifetime had looked after it for her at their workshop. It can occasionally be seen at specialist car shows and rallies.


Personal life

In a newspaper article of 13 February 1963, Toy was described as a widow. Her obituary in ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' stated that she was married briefly to Ewing Rixson and that they had no children. In 1998 Toy was living in
Chipping Norton Chipping Norton is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Cotswolds in the West Oxfordshire district of Oxfordshire, England, about south-west of Banbury and north-west of Oxford. The United Kingdom Census 2011, 201 ...
in Oxfordshire; she died in
Banbury Banbury is an historic market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. The parish had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census. Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding ...
on 18 July 2001, just three and a half weeks before her 93rd birthday.


Works


Plays and screenplays

*1943 ''Lifeline''. Play, co-authored with
Norman Lee Norman Lee (10 October 1898 – 2 June 1964) was a British screenwriter and film director. Selected filmography * '' The Lure of the Atlantic'' (1929) * '' The Streets of London'' (1929) * '' Night Patrol'' (1930, documentary) * '' Doctor J ...
with Toy writing under the pseudonym 'Norman Armstrong'. *1948 ''
The Monkey's Paw "The Monkey's Paw" is a Horror fiction, horror short story by English author W. W. Jacobs. It first appeared in ''Harper's Monthly'' in September, 1902, and was reprinted in his third collection of short stories, ''The Lady of the Barge'', late ...
''. Film screenplay, co-authored with Norman Lee. *1949 ''
Murder at the Vicarage ''The Murder at the Vicarage'' is a work of detective fiction by the British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in October 1930 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. The UK edit ...
''. Play, co-authored with Moie Charles. *1950 ''Random Harvest''. Play, co-authored with Moie Charles. *1953 ''Man in Grey''. Play, co-authored with Moie Charles.


Books

All but the last were published by John Murray in London. * 1955 ''A Fool on Wheels: Tangier to Baghdad by Land-Rover'' (First journey, undertaken in 1950-1) * 1956 ''A Fool in the Desert: Journey in Libya'' (Second journey, undertaken in 1952) * 1957 ''A Fool Strikes Oil: Across Saudi Arabia'' (Third journey, undertaken in 1953) * 1958 ''Columbus was Right!: Rover around the world'' (Fourth journey, undertaken in 1956-7) * 1961 ''In Search of Sheba: Across the Sahara to Ethiopia'' (Fifth journey, undertaken in 1959) * 1964 ''The Way of the Chariots: Niger River – Sahara – Libya'' (Sixth journey, undertaken in 1961) * 1968 ''The Highway of the Three Kings: Arabia from south to north'' * 1970 ''Rendezvous in Cyprus'' * 2009 (posthumously) ''Travelling the Incense Route: From Arabia to the Levant in the Footsteps of the Magi''


Articles

*1961 "Wahni, The Princes’ Prison Mountain" in ''
The Cornhill Magazine ''The Cornhill Magazine'' (1860–1975) was a monthly Victorian magazine and literary journal named after the street address of the founding publisher Smith, Elder & Co. at 65 Cornhill in London.Laurel Brake and Marysa Demoor, ''Dictionar ...
'', Spring 1961, no. 1027, 16–31. London: John Murray.


See also

*
List of travelers This is a list of people noteworthy for their travels or explorations. Travel is the movement of people between relatively distant geographical locations, and can involve travel by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, airplane, or other means ...


Further reading

*Lesley Wildman, ''Which Way Now: The Three Lives of Barbara Toy''. Biography. 2025. WILDideas publications. *Debra Adelaide, ''Bibliography of Australian Women's Literature 1795–1990: A Listing of Fiction, Poetry, Drama and Non-Fiction Published in Monograph Form Arranged Alphabetically by Author''. 1991. Melbourne: D. W. Thorpe in association with NCAS. Entry for Barbara Toy. *M. D. Allen, 'Barbara Toy 11 August 1908–', ''Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 204: British Travel Writers, 1940–1997''. Edited by Barbara Brothers, Julia M. Gergits and Gale Cengage. 1999. Detroit: Gale, pages 288–296. *Jane Robinson, ''Wayward Women: A Guide to Women Travellers''. 1990. Oxford: Oxford University Press.


References and notes


External links


Toy's obituary in ''The Times''





Photograph of Pollyanna in 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Toy, Barbara 1908 births 2001 deaths Expeditions using Land Rovers Australian travel writers British travel writers British women travel writers Australian theatre managers and producers Australian screenwriters Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society Australian women dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Australian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Australian women writers 20th-century British screenwriters 20th-century British dramatists and playwrights British women dramatists and playwrights 20th-century British women writers 20th-century Australian screenwriters Australian emigrants to the United Kingdom