Park, Mungo.

Travels in the Interior of Africa.

London, Adam and Charles Black, 1893. 14 cm x 18 cm. Frontispiece, XVIII, 392 pages. 5 engraved illustrations including frontispiece. Hardcover [publisher’s original red cloth] with gilt lettering and design on spine and front board. Excellent condition with only minor signs of external wear. Some foxing to edges. Internally, tight, bright and clean with sharp corners. Front pastedown carries presentation bookplate with message “St Patrick’s School, Salter Street, Prize Awarded to Evan Jenkins for Regular Attendance Year Ending Oct 31st 1895 – 402 out of 422 times.”

Includes, for example, the following: Glossary of African Words / Sketch of the Life of Park / Common Nature of Negro and European / The River Krieko / The War in Kaarta / The Moors / Animals of the Desert / Beauty of the River Niger etc.

Mungo Park (11 September 1771 – 1806) was a Scottish explorer of West Africa. After an exploration of the upper Niger River around 1796, he wrote a popular and influential travel book titled Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa in which he theorized the Niger and Congo merged to become the same river. He was killed during a second expedition, having successfully travelled about two-thirds of the way down the Niger. (Wikipedia)
First published in 1799, Travels in the Interior of Africa is the account of his journey through Senegal and Mali to the central portion of the Niger River, the first time a Westerner is known to have reached such central regions. With the backing of Sir Joseph Banks, Park was employed (for £11 a month) to journey solo though unknown lands to seek out the legendary city of “Tambuctoo” and try and ascertain the course of, and if possible, termination point of the river Niger. Setting out with just two servants and a mule, Park’s trip was to last two years. He travelled some 200 miles up the Gambia River, and it was on this voyage that he was captured and imprisoned for 4 months by a Moorish chief. He escaped with the help of a slave-trader and eventually made his way to the Niger, but succumbed to a serious fever and only just managed to survive after seven months. Park eventually returned to Scotland by way of Antigua on 22 December 1797. He had been thought dead, and his return home with news of the discovery of the Niger River evoked great public enthusiasm. The first edition of his book sold out rapidly earning Park £1000 in royalties. (Wikipedia)

• Keywords: Africa · Africa – Rare · Africana Collection of Rare Books · British Author · British History of Exploration · Central Africa · Expedition · Explorer · Native, Rituals and Customs · Natives · Niger · Niger River Exploration · Travel · Travel & Expedition – Rare · Travel Africa – Rare · Travel and Adventure · Travel Journal · Travel Writing · Travellers · Travelling Authors
• Language: English
• Inventory Number: 120159AB

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