TITLE.................... ....: Emin Pasha in Central Africa
SUBTITLE..................: Being a collection of his letters and journals
EDITED BY.. .......... ..: G. Schweinfurth, F. Ratzel, R.Felkin, & G Hartlaub
PUBLISHER...............:George Phillip & Sons, London
DATE & EDITION.......:1888, 1st
COVER SIZE (mm)....: 145 x 230
CONDITION...............: Good+ condition book: withdrawn from Grosvenor Library with bookplates on pastedowns and numbers written on copyright page, but no other markings in the book; no writing or markings in the text; no missing pages; only a few pages have small edge tears, not affecting the text; folding map is detached from the book, with several tears, and one corner still bound in; original brown endpapers; cracked hinges have been reinforced. Original publisher's hardcover binding, with fraying spine
tips & corners; light wear to edges; light scuffing to covers and a number on the spine.
A solid copy of this rare book.
DUST JACKET...........: no
COVERS.....................: original publisher's cloth covered boards with Arabic device and text in gilt, age soiling with t wear to edges, corners bumped
SPINE.........................: with title and decoration in gilt, wear to extremities, sunned, library numbers in white
END & FLY PAPERS.: dark brown with chipping & colour loss, splitting between boards and fly at front and back.
PAGES.......................: 547pp including index, generally bright & clean; small water stain affects the first few pages including frontis
BINDING....................: tight
PLATES & MAPS.......: two engraved portraits of Emin Pasha, one fold out colour map at back with some splitting along folds (detached)
INSCRIPTIONS..........:library labels inside of front and back covers, signature and date in pencil + one line number h/s in red opposite contents page
SYNOPSIS, BLURB...:
A solid First Edition copy of this rare and fascinating book about the famous Emin Pasha (1840-92, born Eduard Schnitzer), who served under Gen. Charles Gordon in Sudan as a district medical officer. In 1878 he succeeded Gordon as governor of Equatoria, the southernmost province of the Egyptian Sudan. In 1885 he was cut off from the outside world by the Mahdist uprising, and several European explorers, including Sir H. M. Stanley, were sent to rescue him. Although his position was not desperate, he agreed at length to accompany Stanley to Mombasa. He was murdered while engaged in exploration for Germany in the region of Lake Tanganyika. For a few years, he was headline news in Britain and worldwide, and his life illuminates a fascinating period in a remote and little-explored corner of Africa. With details of slavery, big game hunting, exploration, etc. Published more than 120 years ago, this First Edition book is now rare and highly sought-after.
From the Introduction: ?This volume contains a collection of letters, and extracts from journals, which Emin Pasha has sent to various correspondents in Europe during his residence in the Egyptian Sudan. As I have had the pleasure of personal acquaintance with Emin Pasha, and the advantage of travelling through a considerable portion of the country he has so long ruled, and have also been in continuous correspondence with him for the past nine years, the task of writing an introduction to the book has been entrusted to me ; and although this is a pleasant duty, it is yet an arduous one, for I find it difficult to say all I wish with regard to my illustrious friend, and yet at the same time to write in such a way as may be acceptable to him. It must be borne in mind that Emin Pasha has no idea that these letters are being published in their present form. It may be well to explain here the reason for their publication. Until last year, Emin Pashawas a comparatively unknown man. A few scientists in Germany and in England alone knew of his existence and of the work in which he was engaged; but when, in the end of 1886, I received and published letters from him, saying that he still held the Equatorial Province of Egypt, and requesting help to enable him to maintain his post, interest was aroused in him, and his fame rapidly spread throughout the whole of the civilized world..."
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