THE ELDORADO OF THE ANCIENTS

London: C. Arthur Pearson Ltd, 1902

8vo, x + 447pp. Hardcover binding, gilt lettering to spine, inlaid gilt illustrations to front board. Frontispiece of author and various monochrome plates and illustrations, and 2 maps, collated and complete.

Carl Peters (1856 – 1918) was a German explorer and colonial administrator. He was a major promoter of the establishment of the German colony of East Africa (part of the modern republic Tanzania) and one of the founders of the German East Africa Company. He was a controversial figure in Germany for his views and his brutal treatment of native Africans, which ultimately led to his dismissal from government service in 1897.

A proponent of Social Darwinism and the Völkisch philosophy, his attitude towards the indigenous population made him one of the most controversial colonizers even during his lifetime. Critics among Social Democrats, Catholic, and Free-minded politicians considered Peters a national shame. The Austrian Africanist Oscar Baumann referred to him as "half crazy". One of his nicknames in the German critical press was Hänge-Peters ("Hangman-Peters"). He was known by natives as "mkono wa damu", meaning "the man with blood on his hands". (wikipedia.com)

Condition: Good. Light rubbing to boards, slight bumps and wear to corners of boards. Sunning and shelfwear to spine, small open and closed tears along hinges. Previous owner’s bookplate on front pastedown, with light offsetting to facing endpaper. Browning to endpapers. Some splitting to gutters between some pages. Minor underlining with pencil to a few pages. Overall still well bound.

Reserve: $60

Estimate: $75-90