London: Virago Press, 1982. Trade Paperback. Fifth Edition. Very Good. Pages tanned but unmarked. Spine creased and lightly curved. Reading wear to covers. Corners sharp. Not from a library. xxvi + 741 pages. Originally published: London : Macmillan, 1897. With new introduction.

Mary Kingsley's story is remarkable. In the 1890s, Kingsley decides she should travel in "the tropics" and sets off for the west coast of Central Africa. She travels as a scientist, collecting fish specimens, and finances her travels by trading along the way--but mostly she travels for the love of adventure and to satisfy an appetite for the unknown. "Travels in West Africa" is a treasure trove of information about Atlantic-coast Central Africa in the late 1800s. The last third of "Travels in West Africa" consists of three long chapters on fetish customs. Her depiction of their impact on everyday life and on funeral customs is enlightening. She delves into the afterlife beliefs of the peoples she encountered. But beyond its historic and sociological value, the book is a compelling tale of adventure. Kingsley's descriptions are vivid, her insights interesting, and her understated humor is a joy. Anyone with a love of exploration and a good story will enjoy "Travels in West Africa." Mary Kingsley's account of her experiences, suffused with an infectious good humor, was originally published to immediate success in 1897.

Synopsis

Supported by a family inheritance that gave her £500 a year, Mary Henrietta Kingsley traveled to Africa to complete the book her father had started. The subject was the culture of Africa and Kingsley stayed with local people while she learned to survive in the African jungles, studied cannibal tribes, discovered new species of fish, and climbed Mount Cameroon by a route untouched by any European before her. Kingsley's ideas greatly influenced European ideas about Africa and the African people and her 1897 account, Travels in West Africa, quickly became a best-seller.

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Details

Bookseller: Books of the World (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #: RWARE0000002410
Title: Travels in West Africa: Congo Francais, Corisco and Cameroons (Virago Trave lers)
Author: Mary Kingsley; Elizabeth Claridge (intro)
Format/Binding: Trade Paperback
Book Condition: Used - Very Good
Quantity Available: 1
Edition: Fifth Edition
Binding: Paperback
ISBN 10: 0860682668
ISBN 13: 9780860682660
Publisher: Virago Press
Place of Publication: London
Date Published: 1982
Pages: xxvi + 741
Size: 8vo
Keywords: travel, travelogue, adventure, science, anthropology, sociology, culture, religion, spirituality, Mary Kingsley, Africa, West Africa, Congo, Zaire, Corisco, Cameroon
Bookseller catalogs: Africa; Exploration, Expeditions, and Discoveries; Biographies; Feminism, Women's Studies, and Gender Issues;

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Spine: The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
Trade Paperback: Used to indicate any paperback book that is larger than a mass-market paperback and is often more similar in size to a hardcover...
New: A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...