A very scarce uncorrected proof copy of the author's final book.
Publisher's plain brown wraps with title and author's name handwritten in ink on front panel.
195pp. Leaves printed on a single side.
Square rubber stamp in centre of front panel stating:
"Uncorrected Proof Copy from Robert Hale Limited.
Approx. Publication Date: Oct. 1960.
Price: 18/-.
Size: Demi 8vo."
There is a date in rubber stamp at the bottom of the front panel "31 Aug 1960" which was probably the date of issue for this proof copy.
Overall in very good condition with square text block and minimal age-associated rubbing to edges.
'Forty years of wandering about Africa from the Sudan to the Cape, most of it on foot, have given John F. Burger an unrivalled insight into the way of life, both human and animal, of that Continent. His early experiences reach back to the pioneer days of the great hunters, many of whom he knew personally, when the country was filled with game, on which the author is a leading authority. He remembers, too, the days before the more sinister aspects of native life had been driven underground through contact with Europeans.
Drawing on this vast store of experience, he here includes accounts of the adventures of Charlie Goss, one of the greatest African hunters; of his own experiences with "Lion Men" and "Crocodile Men", with medicine men and witch doctors; of the strange lives of pygmies of the Semliki Forest. In other chapters he tells the stories of the Emperor Mushidi, one of the strangest and most brutal characters in African history; of the King of Kongo who was tricked out of his kingdom with the gift of an armchair; and of King Lewanika who was induced to sign away the mineral rights of his country under false pretences.
The part the great explorer Stanley played in preventing Great Britain from obtaining a foothold in the Congo, and the true history of the famous Emin Pasha expedition and the journey through the impenetrable Ituri Forest and other topics. For Burger is a natural gleaner of information and his memory is long. The great pioneer days had their scandals as well as their heroism, and here both come alive.'
- Binding Condition: Very Good
- Overall Condition: Very Good
- Size: 8vo.
