27

First Edition 2 Vol. In Darkest Africa By Stanley

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:200.00 USD Estimated At:600.00 - 1,200.00 USD
First Edition 2 Vol. In Darkest Africa By Stanley

Offered in this lot is a rare first edition, two volume set of “In Darkest Africa” by H.M. Stanley. This set is bound in green linen with gold embossing on the cover and spine. This set includes the original maps. The condition of these books is very good, showing colors that are still bright and a tight spine. Perhaps no adventurer is more closely connected with Africa than Lord Stanley, whose various expeditions did more to reveal the nature of that continent than any modern explorer. His 1887 mission to relieve the besieged governor of Egypt, his last mission to Africa, ended miserably when Stanley arrived only to learn that the governor did not care to be relieved, but instead was angry at the Englishman for interfering in his affairs. This account contains the harrowing details of Stanley’s journey through the nearly impenetrable Ituri Forest, or Great Congo, which he traversed three times over the course of his travels. The conditions were brutal; sometimes the expedition could achieve no more than three or four hundred yards an hour. Along the way, Stanley compiled important data on the Pygmies and discovered the Ruwenzori, or “Mountains of the Moon.” The perilous journey nearly cost Stanley his life, and only a third of the men with whom he set out returned alive. The books are in very good condition. The books measure 6.5" X 9".