Travel book author Hadley dead at 83

Travel book author Leila Hadley, whose career was prompted by an impulsive worldwide journey, has died in New York at the age of 83, one of her sons says.

Matthew Elliot confirmed his mother died of unspecified causes this past week in Manhattan following years of suffering with emphysema, The New York Times reported Sunday.

Hadley gained a following as a travel writer after embarking on a two-year trip around the world in 1951 with her other son, Arthur T. Hadley III, who was 6 at the time.

The trip served as inspiration for Hadley’s work Give Me the World, which was followed by a series of travel guidebooks by the world traveler. The guidebooks by Hadley focused on travelers who take their children with them.

Her reputation was tarnished in 2003 when she was sued by one of her daughters, Caroline Nicholson, and Nicholson’s oldest daughter Faith. The lawsuit, which was settled this year, alleged the daughter and granddaughter were sexually abused while with Hadley, who at the time was having an affair with was having an affair with Henry Luce III, who later became her fourth husband. The author denied the allegations.

The Times said Elliot, who died Tuesday, is also survived her other daughter, Victoria S. Barlow, and eight grandchildren.