The World's Great Explorers- Livingstone & the Exploration of Central Africa

This work forms one of the volumes of a series entitled " The World's Great Explorers and Exploration," and was edited bt Messrs. J.Scott Keltie,H.J.Mackinder, and E.G T.Ravenstein. The compilation, it is stated, " is to be regarded more in the light of a sketch of Livingstone's life as an African explorer. It does not pretend to be a regular biography."

The earlier chapters of the volume deal with the natural history, and " human " history, of Central Africa, including an interesting study of the "Origin and degrees of relationship of Negro, Hamitic, and  the Semitic races. The author was of the opinion that the " Ophir of the Bible...was probably the West Coast of India," and he believed that it was  " the early Arab settlers in South-East Africa who first discovered and worked the gold exisiting in Zambesi-land," and built " those strong stone walls, forts, and towers in the countries of the Mashona and Matabele," The career of Livingstone is traced from his youth to his early missionary labours, and there is a chapter entitled" 'The Boers,' God's chosen People," which gives some particulars of the explorer's experiences with these people, together with many particulars respecting Bechuanaland.

The writer asserts that he has endeavoured to avoid anything like  " monotonous eulogy" of Dr.Livingstone, but maintains that it was almost impossible that the work should result in anything else than " nearly unmitigated praise," and " the conclusion to be drawn is, that Livingstone was a really great and good man, and that it is impossible to belittle him by recounting the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.....

SOURCE: Mendelssohn. Volume I Page 914.

Original gilt and decorated blue boards, and spine.With twenty-two illustrations from photographs or drawings by the author, and seven maps drawn by E.G.Ravenstein.F.R.G.S.

Halftitle. Frontispiece. Title. Preface and Dedication. Contents. List of Illustrations and Maps.

Owners details to reverse of frontispiece. two sealing wax blobs to rear paste down.

Very clean copy.