Paths Without Glory: Richard Francis Burton in Africa

Nonfiction, History, Africa, British
Cover of the book Paths Without Glory: Richard Francis Burton in Africa by James L. Newman, Potomac Books Inc.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: James L. Newman ISBN: 9781597975964
Publisher: Potomac Books Inc. Publication: December 31, 2009
Imprint: Language: English
Author: James L. Newman
ISBN: 9781597975964
Publisher: Potomac Books Inc.
Publication: December 31, 2009
Imprint:
Language: English
Few people have garnered so much enduring interest as Sir Richard Burton. A true polymath, Burton is best known today for his translations of the Kama Sutra and Arabian Nights. Yet, Africa stood at the center of his adult life. The Burton-Speke expedition (1856–59) that put Lake Tanganyika on the map led to years of controversy over the source of the White Nile. From 1861 to 1864 Burton served as British consul in Fernando Po and traveled widely between Ghana and Angola. He wrote prodigiously and contributed some of the first detailed ethnographic accounts of Africa's peoples. In many ways, however, Africa proved to be Burton's undoing. Injuries and sickness sapped his strength, he made enemies in high places, and, ironically, even the discovery of Lake Tanganyika worked to his disadvantage. Increasingly frustrated and bitter, he turned to alcohol as a frequent remedy.

In this fascinating story of the relationship between a man and a continent, geographer James L. Newman provides an intimate portrait of Burton through careful examination of his journals and biographers' rich analyses. Delving deepest into Burton's later life and travels, Newman pinpoints the thematic mainstays of his career as a diplomat and explorer, namely his strong advocacy of aggressive imperial policies and his belief that race explained crucial human differences. Historians and scholars of the golden age of empire, as well as armchair adventurers, will not only discover what defined this famously enigmatic figure, but venture, themselves, into the heart of mid-nineteenth-century Africa.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Few people have garnered so much enduring interest as Sir Richard Burton. A true polymath, Burton is best known today for his translations of the Kama Sutra and Arabian Nights. Yet, Africa stood at the center of his adult life. The Burton-Speke expedition (1856–59) that put Lake Tanganyika on the map led to years of controversy over the source of the White Nile. From 1861 to 1864 Burton served as British consul in Fernando Po and traveled widely between Ghana and Angola. He wrote prodigiously and contributed some of the first detailed ethnographic accounts of Africa's peoples. In many ways, however, Africa proved to be Burton's undoing. Injuries and sickness sapped his strength, he made enemies in high places, and, ironically, even the discovery of Lake Tanganyika worked to his disadvantage. Increasingly frustrated and bitter, he turned to alcohol as a frequent remedy.

In this fascinating story of the relationship between a man and a continent, geographer James L. Newman provides an intimate portrait of Burton through careful examination of his journals and biographers' rich analyses. Delving deepest into Burton's later life and travels, Newman pinpoints the thematic mainstays of his career as a diplomat and explorer, namely his strong advocacy of aggressive imperial policies and his belief that race explained crucial human differences. Historians and scholars of the golden age of empire, as well as armchair adventurers, will not only discover what defined this famously enigmatic figure, but venture, themselves, into the heart of mid-nineteenth-century Africa.

More books from Potomac Books Inc.

Cover of the book Defenders of Fortress Europe by James L. Newman
Cover of the book The Last Great Senator: Robert C. ByrdÆs Encounters with Eleven U.S. Presidents by James L. Newman
Cover of the book Cushing by James L. Newman
Cover of the book Theodore Roosevelt and World Order by James L. Newman
Cover of the book Petain by James L. Newman
Cover of the book On Luxury: A Cautionary Tale, A Short History of the Perils of Excess from Ancient Times to the Beginning of the Modern Era by James L. Newman
Cover of the book Dean Acheson and the Creation of an American World Order by James L. Newman
Cover of the book Learning to Love the Bomb by James L. Newman
Cover of the book Gordon by James L. Newman
Cover of the book The Open Society Paradox by James L. Newman
Cover of the book Neither Victor nor Vanquished by James L. Newman
Cover of the book The Obama Haters: Behind the Right-Wing Campaign of Lies, Innuendo & Racism by James L. Newman
Cover of the book Business's Most Wanted™ by James L. Newman
Cover of the book Tannenberg by James L. Newman
Cover of the book Fighting Chance by James L. Newman
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy