A Labyrinth of Kingdoms
Description
"Kemper's majestic account of Barth's journey restores the reputation of an explorer who was as passionate about science as he was about rigorous travel. It's an enthralling adventure, captivatingly told." —Ziauddin Sardar, Times (London)
In 1840 Heinrich Barth joined a small British expedition into unexplored regions of Islamic North and Central Africa. One by one his companions died, but he carried on alone, eventually reaching the fabled city of gold, Timbuktu. His five-and-a-half-year, 10,000-mile trek ranks among the greatest journeys in the annals of exploration, and his discoveries are considered indispensable by modern scholars of Africa. In this historical adventure, the first book about Barth in English, Kemper goes a long way toward rescuing this fascinating figure from obscurity.
More details
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Content
- Intro
- Map
- Title Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Prologue
- Map of the Expedition Routes, 1850-55
- 1: Preparations
- 2: Invitation to Africa
- 3: At the Edge of the Desert
- 4: First Steps
- 5: Stalled in Murzuk
- 6: The Palace of the Demons
- 7: To Aïr
- 8: Plundered
- 9: Days and Nights in Tintellust
- 10: Desert Port
- 11: Separate Ways
- 12: "The Celebrated Emporium of Negroland
- 13: An Ending
- 14: The Kingdom of Bornu
- 15: A Mystery Solved
- 16: "The Horde of the Welad Sliman
- 17: Razzia
- 18: Captive in Bagirmi
- 19: Letters from Home
- 20: Resurrection and Death
- 21: Westward
- 22: The Prospect of the Niger
- 23: "Obstructed by Nature and Infested by Man
- 24: Golden City
- 25: In Timbuktu
- 26: Stuck
- 27: Released, More or Less
- 28: Rumors and Consequences
- 29: Getting Out
- 30: Problems at Home
- 31: Last Journeys
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgments
- Notes
- Selected Bibliography
- Index
- Photo Insert
- Praise for A Labyrinth of Kingdoms
- Copyright
