Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa

1799

de Beer Eb 1799 P

London: Printed by W. Bulmer and Co. for the Author

On arriving in Africa in 1795, Mungo Park (1771-1806) had one major aim: to discover the source of the Niger River. With two guides, a horse, a compass, an umbrella, and a tall hat (where he kept his notes), he crossed the Senegal basin, and desert regions of Kaarta. Imprisoned for four months, he escaped and eventually reached the Niger River at Segou on 21 July 1796; he was the first European to do so. Park’s Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa first appeared in 1799. An honest and unadorned account of his expedition, it was an instant success. Part of the route Park took is displayed here (the double line of dots, coloured red) in this first edition. As an acknowledged classic in the travel genre, it was a worthy purchase.