In Darkest Africa

First Edition. Stanley’s famous account of his expedition to relieve Emin Pasha (Eduard Schnitzer), the beleaguered governor of equatorial Sudan, contains some of his most celebrated writing, especially his account of the tortuous 450-mile passage through the dense Ituri rain forest. Stanley’s dealings with Emin Pasha (who proved resistant to being “rescued”), his abandonment of his own rear column and his wider motives for his mission have all come under suspicion then and since, but the book remains a classic of African exploration. In the course of the journey Stanley met Roger Casement, then in service on the Congo, discovered the great snow-capped range of Ruwenzori, the Mountains of the Moon, a new lake which he named the Albert Edward Nyanza and a large south-western extension of Lake Victoria. Translations of In Darkest Africa appeared quickly in French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Dutch while sales of the English trade editions reached 150,000 copies.

2 volumes, 8vo. Original brick red pictorial cloth, decoration in grey, black and gilt. Frontispiece and coloured folding map to each and 36 other plates in all, numerous illustrations to the text, map endpapers. Occasional spotting, a little rubbed on the spine edges over the cords, head and tail of spine slightly crumpled but not chipping or splitting, a nice set.