The Strong Brown God: The Story Of The Niger River
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
A sweeping work of narrative history, The Strong Brown God: The Story of the Niger River chronicles the dramatic and often deadly quest by European explorers to unlock the mysteries of West Africa's most formidable waterway. Sanche de Gramont traces the Niger's course through centuries of indigenous civilization, the brutal legacy of the slave trade, and the relentless ambitions of colonial powers, weaving together geography, politics, and human endurance into a richly textured account. With the authority of a seasoned journalist, de Gramont presents the harrowing expeditions of figures such as Mungo Park, René Caillié, and Heinrich Barth, illustrating how the river simultaneously beckoned and destroyed those who sought to conquer it. The tone is both literary and rigorously researched, balancing vivid storytelling with a sharp-eyed examination of the imperial motivations that drove Western obsession with African exploration. The result is a compelling portrait of a river that shaped empires, defined cultures, and claimed lives across centuries of turbulent history.
Author: Sanche De Gramont
Format: Hardback
Published: 1975, Hart Davis, MacGibbon London
Genre: African history
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
Markings: Previous owner
A sweeping work of narrative history, The Strong Brown God: The Story of the Niger River chronicles the dramatic and often deadly quest by European explorers to unlock the mysteries of West Africa's most formidable waterway. Sanche de Gramont traces the Niger's course through centuries of indigenous civilization, the brutal legacy of the slave trade, and the relentless ambitions of colonial powers, weaving together geography, politics, and human endurance into a richly textured account. With the authority of a seasoned journalist, de Gramont presents the harrowing expeditions of figures such as Mungo Park, René Caillié, and Heinrich Barth, illustrating how the river simultaneously beckoned and destroyed those who sought to conquer it. The tone is both literary and rigorously researched, balancing vivid storytelling with a sharp-eyed examination of the imperial motivations that drove Western obsession with African exploration. The result is a compelling portrait of a river that shaped empires, defined cultures, and claimed lives across centuries of turbulent history.