Mary Kingsley
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
Markings: Previous owner
In this captivating and elegantly drawn mid-century biography, noted chronicler Cecil Howard delivers Mary Kingsley, a definitive exploration of one of the Victorian era's most defiant and pioneering adventurers. Published by the historic house Hutchinson of London, the text charts the extraordinary life of an unorthodox English ethnographer and explorer who cast off the rigid domestic expectations of 19th-century British society to venture deep into the uncharted territories of West Africa. The narrative voice masterfully balances historical rigor with historical adventure, tracking Kingsley's legendary journeys through dense mangrove swamps and along the dangerous waters of the Ogowe River. Howard details her groundbreaking fieldwork studying native religions, law, and complex fish species, demonstrating how her empathetic, respectful engagement with indigenous cultures fundamentally challenged contemporary European biases. Presented as a clean hardback complete with its beautifully preserved original dust jacket—featuring a striking portrait frontispiece illustration—this scarce 1957 first edition serves as an invaluable reference copy for historians of African exploration, students of early anthropology, and dedicated collectors of classic travel biographies.
Author: Cecil Howard
Format: Hardback
Genre: Biography
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
Markings: Previous owner
In this captivating and elegantly drawn mid-century biography, noted chronicler Cecil Howard delivers Mary Kingsley, a definitive exploration of one of the Victorian era's most defiant and pioneering adventurers. Published by the historic house Hutchinson of London, the text charts the extraordinary life of an unorthodox English ethnographer and explorer who cast off the rigid domestic expectations of 19th-century British society to venture deep into the uncharted territories of West Africa. The narrative voice masterfully balances historical rigor with historical adventure, tracking Kingsley's legendary journeys through dense mangrove swamps and along the dangerous waters of the Ogowe River. Howard details her groundbreaking fieldwork studying native religions, law, and complex fish species, demonstrating how her empathetic, respectful engagement with indigenous cultures fundamentally challenged contemporary European biases. Presented as a clean hardback complete with its beautifully preserved original dust jacket—featuring a striking portrait frontispiece illustration—this scarce 1957 first edition serves as an invaluable reference copy for historians of African exploration, students of early anthropology, and dedicated collectors of classic travel biographies.