The Nile Quest: A Record of the Exploration of the Nile and its Basin

New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1903. First edition. Hardcover. g+ to vg. Octavo (8 x 6"). xv, [1], 341, [1]pp. Modern 3/4 morocco over marbled paper covered boards, with gold lettering, ruling and illustration on spine. Top paper edge gilt. Marbled endpapers. Frontispiece portrait of Speke from a drawing by the author.

Sir Harry Johnston (1858-1927), was a British artist, explorer and colonial administrator. He was a key figure in the so-called 'Scramble for Africa', the invasion and colonization of Africa by major European powers in the late nineteenth century.

"This book is Johnston's wide-ranging history of Nile exploration, beginning with the Ancient Egyptians and the Greeks and continuing into the Victorian period. As well as charting the development of ancient civilisations in the Nile region, Johnston also discusses its wider role in world history and its appeal to powerful leaders from Alexander the Great to Napoleon.

As a contemporary of many significant participants in nineteenth-century Nile exploration, Johnston was perfectly situated to provide detailed insights into the personalities and achievements of explorers such as Burton, Stanley and Speke. His absorbing and accessible account provides a fascinating late Victorian perspective on the subject." (From Cambridge University Press).

This work is lavishly illustrated throughout with b/w photographic reproductions, as well as a large folding color map at rear.

Ex-library copy with bookplate on inside of front cover, and library stamps to top and bottom paper edges. Small abrasion to marbled paper on front cover. Binding in overall good+ to very good, interior in very good condition.